Scorched Origins
by ErisLuna35
Summary: The beginning was different for everyone... (Origin Story for my other fic, "The Hijacked Adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noire")
1. Prologue: First Impressions

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 **Tikki**

Convincing my charge to accept his duties as a Ladybug is proving to be harder than I initially expected.

"On second thought, maybe I'm not up to this hero business," my chosen, the bespectacled boy with dark blue hair rambled. "I have school, class president duties, Judo, the flower shop…"

His name is Shizuke Midorikawa. This boy has repeatedly passed the guardian's test... while at the same time, obliviously sabotaging the guardian's chances to test anyone else. His eagerness to help people is unmatched. One would think he'd jump at the chance to save his school…

"Hey! Maybe you should get Fuyu to be the new hero! She's strong! She's the most heroic person I know! And most importantly, she has the piercings for it! Four of them in fact!"

But at the prospect of piercing his ears, he's chickening out. Granted, there's a long list of other things that made him want to back out. Having to fight a raging fire monster with a yoyo is probably at the top of the list.

And there's that ever familiar look in his eye that tells me that he doesn't believe he's good enough for this. It's a sadly common trait among my charges. But that's what I'm here for.

"Shizuke, you're the chosen one," I stressed firmly. "It has to be _you_."

"I can't-"

He abruptly stopped. It seems like something caught his eye.

I followed his gaze to his monitor showing a live broadcast of the attack. _Someone_ was following the monster. From the look of recognition in Shizuke's face, I can conclude that this is someone he greatly cares for.

Suddenly, his entire demeanor completely changed. His mouth turned into a firm line, his doe brown eyes hardened, and he turned to me.

 _All his doubts were replaced with resolve._

"… All I have to do is say 'Spots on', right?"

Excitement bubbled up within me. There is hope for this charge yet!

"AND you have to wear the Miraculous!" I said, pushing the earrings to his face.

His determination instantly faltered. But I'm not giving up. I'm sure he can overcome his strange aversion to piercing his ears to save someone's life!

"Uhh…" he was grasping for an excuse, his hesitation seeping back in. His eyes were darting around his room, looking for a way out, the scissors in his hands snipping in agitation.

"Please, set your priorities straight! What's a pair of pierced ears compared to the safety of your friend?"

"Aha!" Shizuke grabbed the earrings and went to his desk, pulling out an eraser. The boy began cutting the end of the eraser into small cubes.

"What are you-"

"What's important is that I have to have the Miraculous on me right?"

"… Yes. But what does this have to do with-"

With a quick snip of his scissors, a button from his sleeve cuffs dropped. He calmly did the same to his other sleeve.

"What if I wear it like this?" Shizuke picked up one of the earrings and pinned it on his cuff. He slid the eraser bit into the cuff to seal the needle. He did the same to his other sleeve and showed me his handiwork. "Will this work?"

He repurposed the earrings into cufflinks. He found a way around his problem. His reasoning may be foolish but I can't deny his creativity.

"Yes," I smiled proudly at my charge. "This will work."

Though the arrangement didn't seem ideal at first, this boy has potential. Under all that stiffness, he has the creative spark of a Ladybug.

He let out a relieved sigh. "Okay then. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Oh! You're not going to fight alone. You'll have a certain _black cat_ for a partner."

"Got it. Tikki! Spots on!"

0-0-0-0-0

 **Plagg**

"So with this ring, I can transform into a superhero like the red spandex guy on tv?" asked my new chosen.

This time, I got a crimson haired girl named Blair Crawford. She's harder to read than my usual overemotional chosen. So far, she seems willing to jump into the hero biz.

"Oh, Tikki's out already?" I poked my head out of the roll of toilet paper I was playing in and looked at the TV screen on her bedroom wall. Looks like Tikki's chosen has already jumped into the fight without us.

"{ _STOP DESTROYING SCHOOL PROPERTY!_ }" the red spandex guy yelled as he gutsily jumped at the burning champion. One thing's for sure, Tikki's got a weird one.

My new chosen coughed to return my attention to her question. Demanding much?

"To answer your question, yep. And the red spandex guy's your partner. You do most of the fighting, while he'll be in charge of fixing stuff."

"Hmm…" my chosen carefully slid the ring on like it's the most precious thing she ever had. Whenever her eyes weren't glued to that ring, she's stealing glances at the picture hanging on the wall – a portrait of a happy family while there were still four of them instead of two. Loneliness hiding behind a 'cool' façade seems to be a staple among my wielders. "What powers do I get?"

Ooh... Now this is new. Usually, I get the reckless half of the dynamic duo but this one is actually willing to wait and listen to me explain things. I look back at the screen showing Tikki's navy blue haired chosen currently yelling at the akuma. This will be amusing to watch.

"You get the power of destruction, enhanced senses and physical abilities, a baton that can extend to an unlimited length, and an indestructible suit," as I enumerated this, Tikki's boy got blasted with a ball of fire and came out of it unharmed. Way to demonstrate my point, lucky bug.

My chosen narrowed her emerald green eyes. "How are we supposed to defeat Scorch?"

"Simple. Destroy the possessed item, make sure your partner purifies the akuma that pops out, and Scorch will return to normal."

She raised a brow at the screen showing the fire guy's flames growing along with his anger while fighting the noisy new bug hero.

"… He doesn't look like he has anything on him."

Fair point. He looks more like a bon fire with legs than a human with raging fire powers. But I don't want to think too hard about the technical stuff.

"Sure he does! Just leave it to Tikki and her chosen to purify the akuma."

"What happens if my partner doesn't purify the akuma?"

"Nothing pretty. Seriously. _Make sure he purifies it_ ," I emphasized, not wanting a repeat of the same mistake made by the last duo who had to fight an enigmatic butterfly villain. That would be a drag I'd rather not deal with ever again. "You ask too many questions. Do you want to do this or not?"

Her emerald eyes are practically gleaming as her lips tilted up to a Cheshire cat grin, like the answer to that question is obvious. Anyone can tell from her stance alone how determined she is.

 _This is her dream becoming a reality._

"Okay," she said with a flip of her long crimson hair. "I'll do this. What do I have to do to transform?"

That's all the confirmation I need to know that she's ready to be the next Black Cat.

"Just say 'Claws out', and the Miraculous will do the rest."

She smirks as she lifts her ringed fist in the air.

"Plagg, claws out!"

0-0-0-0-0


	2. Scorched Origins P1 Chat Noire's Dream

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The beginning was different for everyone...

... For her, it was the day her _dreams_ came true only to clash with _reality_.

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 **SCORCHED ORIGINS P1: CHAT NOIRE'S DREAMS**

"Finally! You're doing something right!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the bossy photographer and ruin the shot. Today, I'm lucky enough to be one of the main models for _Aphrodite_ 's anniversary line, and the company has reserved Lucia Park just to shoot for my part of the line… Though I don't feel particularly lucky at the moment.

We've been at it all morning and my muscles are aching all over. Summer has just barely ended yet I'm already covered in coats that would've been great for the autumn season. Outdoor shots are a pain on a normal day, but with the sudden heatwave and the humidity it caused… To make a long list of complaints short, let's just say this morning has been torture.

It didn't help that this photographer is a talentless hack and we had to keep redoing shoots. The only reason he's in charge of this shoot is because of his family's connections. Just a few more shots and this will all be over. I'll be relieved of this jerk and I'll be on my merry way… Then there was a loud crash and the photographer stopped taking pictures of me.

"What now?!" the photographer whined, looking ready to whack someone with his camera. Before I could react, he fixed me with a glare and told me not to move. Ugh, what's the point if he's not gonna take a picture?!

From what I can hear from the gossiping camera crew, somebody tripped over the rack that held the outfits I was going to wear for the rest of the shoot. Disappointingly, I'm not even through half of them and now they're all ruined.

"What the- do you have any idea what you just tripped on?! Your entire life savings wouldn't be able to cover that!" the photographer yelled, waving his arms around in a tantrum.

I dropped my pose and walked over –as steadily as I can with these ridiculous heels on- to get a better look at the commotion. There, on the ground with all the ruined coats and dresses, was an old lady in a dark green kimono.

The old lady bowed her head and murmured her apologies. Her purse and its contents were scattered on the ground. Nobody dared to get in between her and the angry photographer to help. I scoffed at these cowards and tried to help the old lady when the already-raging photographer turned his angry glare at me.

"And you!" he said, pointing at me in an overly dramatic fashion. "What are you doing?! Now we have to find that perfect pose all over again!"

"Sir, we've been working since six. How about we take a break so you can relax and I can stretch my legs and help the old lady out of here?" I tried to be as professional as possible as I tried to negotiate with this idiot.

"No, no, NOoooOO!" he said in that annoying, nasally voice that may as well be coming from a whining toddler. "You! Stay right where you are. We don't have time for this- We have a deadline to meet! This is the shoot of the year!"

He began his rant. I'm starting to think that this isn't worth missing school for. He doesn't like me as a person but he loves my budding fame as a model.

"Your manager was lucky she had just the right strings to pull to get you here, so I'm stuck with you. This shoot is going to define the rest of my career, and I'm not about to let a dirty old hag screw this up for me!"

He has a point though. Mrs. Liung had really outdone herself with this shoot. It's the only reason why I didn't just ditch the jerk in the first half hour. This one shoot could have me all set for college…

"As for you…" he said as he approached the old lady, who still hasn't stood up from the ground. I noticed a cane a little far away from her. The photographer tapped a finger to his chin, a calculating sneer appearing on his face. "How are you going to pay for the damages? You even trespassed to do so… I ought to press charges."

I rolled my eyes. This is getting out of hand.

"How about I pay for the damages, and you let this poor old lady off the hook? How does that sound?"

He glared at me for not following his orders. This is just an accident, and he's coercing a disabled old lady! How despicable. My hard-earned cash is important to me but this old lady doesn't deserve to be treated this way.

"Urgh… Fine!" swung his arms above his head in exaggerated defeat. "I'll take your paycheck. That should be enough to pay for all the damages."

All the damages, _and then some_. This is a major shoot after all, so I'm pretty sure it could cover a lot more than just a couple of outfits, even if they're the latest top of the line from _Aphrodite_. What a scumbag.

"And since all of the outfits are ruined, I'll have to ask for an extension. We'll meet again within a week. If I weren't in such a good mood, I would've fired you all for letting this happen. For now, you're all dismissed," the pathetic excuse for a photographer said, waving his hand in a shooing motion.

The way he says it, it's like he's doing us all a favor. He made his exit. I grit my teeth and took deep breathes. The things I put up with for this job.

The some of the crew lingered to give me and the old lady pitying glances. I just clicked my tongue and walked past them. I don't care for pity. It never helped anyone. I picked the old woman's cane and kneeled down next to the old lady to offer it to her.

"Need a hand?"

"Thank you, dear," the old lady offered me a warm smile.

I couldn't help smiling back at her.

"Don't mention it."

The old lady's smile faltered and she went back to picking her scattered belongings. There was a short pause before I kneeled down to help her collect her stuff… Among them was a weird pair of square black glasses that had a gag nose and bushy eyebrows. I shook my head and gave them back to the old lady. After gathering all her stuff, I helped her stand back up until she's standing steadily with the help of her cane. Other than her limp- which I assume is normal for her considering her cane- she doesn't seem to be injured.

"That must've been a very important photoshoot for the entire park to get closed down," she winced as she commented. "Yet you went through all that trouble to help this clumsy old lady out."

"Nah, it's not that big of a deal. I'm sure I could book myself into another photoshoot later this month and earn the money back," I reassured.

If there's anything I'd still gain from this bust of a job, it would be fame and a sponsorship deal. Sure, I lost my entire paycheck over such a tiny accident that shouldn't be a big deal, but I'm still modeling for _Aphrodite_ ; and on its anniversary special too. Money wouldn't be a problem in the long run… This just means it'll be longer before I could get enough money to pay back Mrs. Liung for everything and live independently for a few years after high school, which wouldn't have been a problem if that scumbag didn't take my paycheck. I can't wait to quit.

"Child, you're so young. Why are you even working? Shouldn't you be in school?"

She's pretty nosy for an old lady. I gave her my best model smile and tried not to sound annoyed with her interrogation.

"Well, if I don't do this then I wouldn't even be able to afford going to school," I answered, keeping my tone even and casual. Mr. Liung's life insurance can only last for so long, and it's not like he had me and my brother in mind when he planned it. Mrs. Liung may not say it but she could really use all the help she can get.

"Shouldn't your parents be the ones worrying about that?"

That hit a sore spot. I guess they would if they were alive. But sadly, they're dead and there's nothing anyone can do about it but carry on. No amount of tears can bring them back. I reigned it all in. It's pointless to feel that way now. And this old lady didn't know any better. I couldn't take it out her.

"Raising three kids as a single mom isn't easy. I wanted to help her out," I told her instead, opting not to mention that my twin and I are currently being raised by people who aren't even related to us when we had no one to turn to after we lost our parents. We owe them.

"Ooh, I see. Such a hardworking young lady. I wish you the best of luck in the future," she said, waving goodbye before walking away. She's pretty fast for a granny with a limp.

It was only a few minutes later that I realized she never looked back at me after thanking me for helping her. She must've felt really sorry for me. Tsk tsk. Pity is such a useless feeling, and I want no part of it.

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Not having anything better to do, I made my way to school. That is, until I got a text from my brother saying a fire monster is attacking the school, he'll be back at the apartment soon, and I should stay as far away as possible. I thought he was joking until I passed by an electronics store and all the TV screens were showing the news about what looks like an evil Human Torch.

Well, crud. A supervillain is attacking our school. And would you look at that: a superhero also appeared, just in time to shield a pink-haired girl from an incoming fireball!

I rushed back to the apartment to watch the rest of the report from a safe distance. I was just about to turn my laptop on when I noticed a strange black box on my desk. I went closer to inspect it. It had an intricate red pattern on the cover that I can vaguely identify as Chinese. I doubt the Liungs left this. Knowing them, if this was a present for me, they would've given it to me themselves. I rule out Blake for the same reason. I inspected the box from every other corner, but I couldn't find any clues as to who it belongs to.

"Maybe the owner of this wouldn't get too mad if I take a peek," I muttered to myself as I open the box.

I saw a black ring with a neon green paw print before a ball of green light floated off of it. Once the light show cleared, I saw a black, cat-like creature floating in the middle of the room. It stretched out and yawned as if it just woke up from a long catnap. The creature reminded me of someone.

"… Are you like… Trixx?"

"I see you've met a kwami before. Great! That makes my job easier. By the way, I'm a rank above Trixx, and I can do way better than give you the power of illusions. I'm Plagg, by the way. Nice to meet you," he half-introduced, half-bragged.

"I'm…" before I can introduce myself, Plagg zipped around my room. He found my laptop.

"Ooh, shiny!" he said before biting it.

"Hey! That's new! Don't bite that!" I scolded, jumping over to catch the flying cat. But he was too quick. By the time I got to my laptop, he was already zooming off to my shelf and licked every single one of my Avengers action figures.

"Don't you have anything edible in here? I'm hungry!" he whined.

He was about to zip off again when he stopped and looked at my family portrait.

The one with my _real family_.

Blake and I were still so young in the portrait and our clothes were coordinated to match. In that portrait, my hair was tied up in a black bow and I was in a green, patterned dress. Blake was in a matching green, patterned shirt with a black bow tie. Dad didn't even bother to fix himself with his crimson hair in a mess, and the top two buttons of his black button shirt were undone, but his dark eyes shone and he even had a small smile. Mom had her golden blonde hair hung loose behind her back, her white sundress was pristine, and her emerald green eyes shone. Only her mischievous smirk gives away the cunning _vixen_ she really is.

I'm sure the happy family in the picture wasn't what caught Plagg's attention. Rather, the silver foxtail necklace dangling around my mother's neck did.

His trance didn't last long and he continued to zip around my room. I eventually caught him when I pounced on him on my bed.

"You have some explaining to do," I demanded.

"What's there to explain? You already know the basics, being Volpina's daughter and all."

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Transforming felt amazing. Power surged through me, the magic spread over me into a tight leather-like suit. The leather cat ears and a belt tail felt like they're a part of me. My silky crimson hair turned into a fierce fiery red mane. The green of my emerald eyes spread to my sclera, making them look feral.

I flexed my clawed hands, then all my other limbs, testing the flexibility of my 'indestructible' suit. This is comfier than it looks. It all felt natural, as if this is how I always was… Yet at the same time, I feel like I can take on the world.

I smirked at my reflection in the mirror. While black cat aesthetic doesn't look as heroic as Wonder Woman's amazon-of-justice look, I've always been more of a Batman kind of girl anyway.

My smirk melted to a melancholic smile.

"It's not exactly as I dreamed it would be, but it's real. This is actually happening. I have my own Miraculous. Would they be proud of me if they can see me now?"

The sound of sirens broke me out of my reverie. I locked the door and jumped out the window and through the fire exit I made my way onto the roof. I can see the smoke from where the monster is attacking. I pulled out my baton and vaulted my way there.

I can see the fire monster's keeping the red spandex guy busy.

Time to make my grand heroic entrance. It's a good thing Ersatz Spider-Man has already demonstrated how indestructible the suits are, otherwise I wouldn't even think of doing this.

I vaulted over the gate with a loud yell to catch everyone's attention and smacked my staff at the monster's face. I can hear it now, the loud cheers as another hero has arrived.

"OH NO! NOT ANOTHER VILLAIN!" bug boy yelled.

I grimaced at the accusation. Didn't his kwami tell him that he has a partner?

I landed with all the grace of a cat and smirked at the annoying boy in red. I sauntered over to him, my body automatically performing my runway worthy strut.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" the boy started swinging his yoyo defensively.

I try to remember my mother's words of wisdom when dealing with hostile guys. Since she was the fox and was known for deceit, she had to have some good tips in getting people to lower their guard around her, right?

" _The easiest way to make a guy drop his guard around you is to charm them. You can start by flipping your hair like those women in shampoo commercials and talk to them with a smile. That's a sure-fire way to tame them."_

Well, here it goes. I flipped my hair. It looked so out of place in this dangerous situation that polka dots dude stopped spinning his yoyo, which bonked him on his head from the sudden lack of momentum. I'd be laughing at him if I wasn't trying to convince him I'm not a bad guy.

Now it's time to introduce myself. Don't screw this up Blair! This is your hero name, and people will be using it 'til the day you retire so better pick something cool. What name should I use? 'Black Cat' doesn't have the oomph I'm looking for and I want to keep my association to cat burglars to a minimum… Oh! I got it!

"I'm your amazing crime fighting partner, Chat Noire!" I introduced with a Cheshire cat grin to sell my heroic Catwoman aesthetic and keeping the hand I used to flip my hair up to perfectly show off my Miraculous.

Chat Noire. It has a nice ring to it. French for 'Black Cat' and it's inspired by my father's codename, Noir. My mother may have been a superhero, but my father was no slouch in that department. I want to honor him too, even if no one knows it.

My effort to charm him was rewarded with a scrutinizing glare. Ugh! This guy is gonna be a pain in the butt to work with. I can see it now.

"And you are?" I asked him while hiding the frustration in my tone.

He snapped out of his trance only for him to fluster and start muttering.

"I'm uh… What should I tell her? Maybe I should follow her example and base it on my aesthetics…"

He doesn't seem to notice he started mumbling his thoughts out loud. Great. I got a weirdo for a teammate. His cheeks were growing redder and redder the longer he rambled. How long is he going to mumble to himself before he figures out a name? It's not that hard! I chose mine in like, five seconds!

"What do I have to work with? I've got a red suit with polka dots, I'm supposed to have the power of creation and symbolize good luck, and there's Tikki who's like a…"

Why oh why oh why… He better pull himself together before-

"… L-Ladybug?"

"Okay Ladybug," I said before he can change his mind, testing out the name while eyeing him from head to toe.

He's barely half a head taller than me, not a very impressive height. He has short navy blue hair, a youthful face, and dark eyes; all fairly common features that wouldn't look out of place on an average awkward teenaged boy. He has a noticeably lean athletic build, not too skinny, not too buff, with special emphasis on the arms; it's likely he's some kind of a jock when he's not a superhero. Maybe he's on a tennis team.

And his suit… It looks ridiculous. It's like it's trying so hard to compensate for his fairly handsome but not very remarkable natural features. Bright red with black spots. Just like a ladybug. As in, his name.

It fits him.

"Got a plan to handle hot stuff over there?" I asked, looking over the fire monster that ignored us in favor of continuing on his way to wherever. I can't help but feel excited about this.

Today is the day I officially become a superhero!

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"Cataclysm!"

I can feel the power surging at my fingertips. The power of destruction. It feels wild and intense, but it doesn't scare me. I'm the one with complete control over this power. I can destroy things any way I want, any amount I want, with just a touch of my fingertips.

I pushed my power into the ground, willing it to disintegrate a huge portion of the earth into the shape I wanted. And there it was. The perfect trap. It's a huge crater, too deep to jump his way out, too smooth to climb out of.

"Y-you…" Ladybug stuttered.

"Yes?" I smirked at my flabbergasted partner, expecting a flood of compliments.

"YOU DESTROYED SCHOOL PROPERTY!" he yelled instead.

Way to ruin my moment of triumph.

"Oh come on! It's not like you can't fix it!" I retorted, waving an arm to gesture at all the carnage that happened in the fight.

Ladybug dropped that furious look and replaced it with a more thoughtful-but-still-accusing look. He gave me one last scathing glare before approaching the trapped villain.

Ugh… What a jerk!

Ladybug summoned his Lucky Charm and got a fire extinguisher. Its purpose was obvious.

"Oh great! A fire extinguisher! Just what we need!" I said with faux cheer. "We can use that to put a stop to his fire-"

Without even looking at his Lucky Charm, he threw it so hard he broke a sound barrier and it hit Scorch squarely on the head. Ooh! That's gotta hurt.

I gave Ladybug a flat look. "What."

Ladybug slid down the crate and approached the unconscious Scorch. With his fires put out, he looks more like a vaguely human-shaped obsidian mass.

I raised a skeptical brow at Ladybug. "What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to purify the akuma or whatever and fix this?" I gestured at, well, everywhere to emphasize my point.

Ladybug pried out a crumpled piece of paper from Scorch's hand and put it into his holster.

"I don't know how. I'll go ask Tikki," he stiffly said, as he picked up his Lucky Charm and swung away.

I'm supposed to work with this moody overpowered noob for the rest of my life? Suddenly, my dream to be a superhero just got a lot less glamorous.

0-0-0-0-0

"I'm baaaaaack!~" I announced as I entered the apartment.

"Blair!" Vincent leaped off the couch and dashed straight towards me to trap me in a hug. "We were so worried about you!"

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Liung asked, practically teleporting to her son's side. Unlike her happy-touchy-feely son, she stayed at a respectable distance.

"I'm fine," I pried myself out of Vincent's bear hug.

"Where were you?" my twin's voice smoothly cuts through the Liung duo's worried chatter.

Blake was leaning by the stairs, eyeing me with his arms folded close to his chest. Looking at him now, it's easy to see how much he takes after dad. He even inherited some of his body language. This one in particular means he's suspicious and ready to interrogate out of worry.

"… I was at the shoot," I said, doing my best to keep my voice as natural as possible while looking him in the eye.

Blake's emerald stare hardened. "You hesitated."

I consider myself to be a fairly good liar. I had to if I'm going to make it as a famous model. It's just that normally, I have Blake as my accomplice to back me up; not the one I'm selling my lies to…

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" _By the way, don't tell anyone about this," Plagg said after I detransformed a few blocks away from the Liungs' apartment._

" _Oh don't worry, I got the drill. My heroic exploits are not something to be shared on Instagram no matter how good I look in a leather catsuit," I smirked as I gestured for Plagg to fly back into my purse. He did not budge._

" _I mean it, kid," Plagg said sharply. "Not even your family should know."_

 _That made me pause._

"… _What?! But I've never lied to-"_

" _Especially not Blake."_

" _But why? Mom-"_

" _Revealed herself to you by accident in one of the dumbest ways ever! And believe me, in my VERY long_ _existence_ _, I've seen a lot of really dumb reveals. Going through the bedroom window as Volpina to tuck the little twinsies in while forgetting to drop her transformation after patrol is among the dumbest reveals I've ever heard of."_

 _I made my best indignant-and-so-not-amused face._

 _Plagg eventually straightened up and continued. "Given the choice, she probably would've never told you."_

" _It worked out_ fine _," I said defensively. "We at least knew where she was all the time and stopped begging dad to find her whenever she's out too long. I could do the same for Blake… He can definitely help cover for me like dad did for mom."_

 _Plagg shook his head. "This isn't like when your mother was a hero. She fought a creepy cult everyone knew to run away from. What exactly are YOU dealing with?"_

 _My gaze hardened in focus. All the clues were laid out in front of me. The possessed item, the transformation, the purifying… Then it all fell into place._

" _A_ butterfly _who can hack into anyone's head and turn them into supervillains," I grumbled, remembering which former Miraculous Wielder had the power to create a 'Scorch'._

" _Exactly. Your enemy isn't someone Blake can simply fight or get away from. Blake won't get the choice to keep your secret should the butterfly ever come knocking into his brain. Trustworthiness isn't a factor here. Anyone knowing your identity is a security risk, so it's best to keep it to yourself."_

0-0-0-0-0

… I never had to lie to Blake, nor do I want to. But I have to.

"Okay, you got me," I said, raising my hands to either side of my head in a sign of surrender. "There's been a minor accident this morning."

"What?!" Vincent worriedly squeaked, eyes immediately scanning me for any visible injuries.

"Don't worry, no one was hurt," I glanced reassuringly at Vincent before returning my gaze to my brother. "There was this old lady who tripped on my outfits for the shoot. The stupid photographer was making a huge fuss about it and tried to sue the old lady, so I stepped in and paid for all the damages with my paycheck and…" I trailed of purposefully, letting my brother figure out the rest.

"Okay, I get it," Blake's face relaxed and patted me on the shoulder sympathetically. "If some scumbag cheated me out of my money, I'd be in a bad mood too and sulk somewhere alone for a while."

I blankly nodded. I thought it would've been easier to just let my brother jump to conclusions and make up my excuses for me… Still, will lying to him ever get easier?

"It's alright little sis," Vincent put his hand on my other shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. I swallowed the urge to tell him not to call me 'little sis'.

"Yeah, I'll get you a better shoot next time," Mrs. Liung promised while typing something on her phone. "You'll never have to work with that scum again."

I smiled gratefully at Mrs. Liung. I know I can count on her to make that happen. The Dragon Lady always finds ways. "Thanks."

"Okay, now that that's settled, is anybody hungry?" Mrs. Liung went to the kitchen with Vincent trailing behind suggesting whatever he's craving for at the moment, leaving us twins by the entry.

Blake looked back at me, barely containing an excited grin.

"Have you seen the new heroes? They're so cool," he said, making a valiant effort to keep his voice down.

I matched his grin, drawing from the thrill of being Chat Noire to make it as genuine as it could be.

"Yeah, they're awesome. Especially the redhead in black."

Even though it's hard to lie to his face, I have to. It's for our safety.

0-0-0-0-0

After a nice long chat with the uncooperative kwami, it's clear that Scorch wouldn't be the last supervillain that'll make an appearance. The Butterfly Miraculous has fallen into the wrong hands and whoever has it is still on the loose. No matter how I look at it, dead or alive, things didn't end well for Monarch.

Unfortunately, my only ally in this fight is _Ladybug_. I don't want to have to rely on Ladybug. He's obviously not cut out for this hero gig. Just earlier, he ditched me to ask his kwami on how to do his job right! This guy is a nuisance! He'll just get in my way!

" _We'll always have each other's backs. Right, sis?" seven-year-old Blake energetically held out his fist to me. It may have been a game of make-believe heroes, but that didn't make the words any less real._

 _I gave him a smile in return and bumped my own fist to his._

" _Always."_

And most of all, he's not the partner I was hoping for.

"Plagg, why can't I handle akuma purification duty?"

"Because your job is to destroy, while Ladybug's job is to fix things. Those akumas aren't your problem," he said while munching on his disgusting power source that is too nasty to be called 'cheese'.

"Can't I – oh, I don't know, destroy them with Cataclysm? No butterflies, no supervillains, right?"

"NO!" Plagg shrieked, almost dropping his precious crud over my precious bed.

"Why not?" I asked indignantly.

"Because you'll hurt Nooroo," Plagg stated with the most serious face I've ever seen from him.

"Nooroo?"

"The kwami of the Butterfly Miraculous. You'll have plenty of time to get to know them once we nab the jerk who's making them do this," Plagg said, with so much fire in his bright green eyes that I thought I was hallucinating. This is the most energetic I've seen him in the few hours I've known him.

"Wow Plagg, I didn't know there's room in your heart for something other than your disgusting camembert."

"First of all, camembert is the BEST! Second, Nooroo's like a younger sibling to me so of course I don't want them to get hurt. It's the same with the other kwami. We all look out for each other. Just don't tell Tikki I said any of this. They will never let me live it down."

"You mention Tikki a lot," I flatly stated.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do," I urged and fixed him with that same stern look my father uses when he suspects that Blake and I are lying about keeping our little hands off the cookie jar before dinner. "Isn't 'Tikki' the name of Ladybug's kwami? What's your relationship?"

"Urgh. To me, Tikki is more than just another younger sibling. They're my partner, the yin to my yang and all that jazz. Kinda like you and your twin- or more symbolically, you and _Ladybug_ ," he teased, knowing it will annoy me.

"Interesting," I rolled my eyes. I am having enough trouble accepting Ladybug as my partner as is. As usual, Plagg ignored my annoyance at the comparison.

"The point is, Tikki and their chosen are the only ones who can purify an akuma without harming Nooroo. The butterflies are a part of them, an extension of their power. So don't ever use Cataclysm on an akuma, got it?"

So that's what's going on. It's a dual hostage situation, and the primary aggressor is a hostage controlled by the other hostage. Great. That means we can't hurt them beyond a few hard nonlethal blows. I can't Cataclysm them away. While Ladybug can harmlessly free those butterflies from evil and magically fix everything.

"I can practically hear the gears of your mind ticking from here. Something bothering you?"

"Why am I even given _this_ ," I raised my right hand to show Plagg the Black Cat Miraculous for emphasis, "when Ladybug is the only one who's really needed?"

"Because Ladybug can't do this alone. You've seen him in action. You're partners, and you're stuck with him."

"Then why can't I just be Ladybug?"

That just slipped before I can stop it.

Don't get me wrong, the suit and the powers that come with being Chat Noire are awesome! Definitely fits my style.

Dad taught me self-defense – both unarmed and with a baton, while mom taught me how to wield a quarterstaff because it's similar to her weapon as Volpina. The extendable baton was practically custom made for me! Cataclysm is powerful and versatile. I can destroy anything any way I want, no matter the mass or material. The enhanced sensory and the always-lands-on-your-feet thing are very useful and came to me so naturally. Even out of costume, my senses and reflexes are better than normal. And the bright red suit with polka dots just wouldn't work with my skin tone and hair the way black leather does. Black goes with everything and never goes out of style. The leather catsuit is a timeless classic.

In conclusion: being Chat Noire is great!

" _You do most of the fighting, while he'll be in charge of fixing stuff."_

It's just that when Plagg said that, I thought I'd be the main hero taking down bad guys while Ladybug is my sidekick doing damage control in the sidelines. This is not the typical fighter-and-healer dynamic I was expecting. Contrary to my initial expectations, Chat Noire is more of a sidekick buying Ladybug time to do his thing.

In this situation, Ladybug would be the more important hero: the _real_ hero.

With Miraculous Ladybug, he can bring everything back to normal so the authorities couldn't press charges on us for whatever damage that happened during battle and prevent casualties. His Lucky Charm gives him the ability to summon lethal joke items that guarantee his victory. And most importantly, he's the only one who can purify the akuma. He's the one who brings the akumatized victim back to normal.

He's the one who saves the day.

And in the long run, he could've gotten anyone else to be his main fighter and it wouldn't matter. As long as the healer is there, everything will be alright.

This sucks! I lived my whole life looking up to my parents, dreaming to become a hero like them. I was planning on becoming a detective, the closest I'd get to being a superhero… The closest I'll get to understand why they had to leave… Then one day, I get a Miraculous, a partner, and a supervillain to take down. To be given all this and then realize I'm more of a sidekick who has to help out such a clumsy hero is a huge blow to me.

"Because you make a better Chat Noire," Plagg said, snapping me back to reality. " _You_ are the one who can best use _my_ powers, not _him_. Can you imagine Ladybug using Cataclysm? My ears will never recover. It is not worth the initial amusement."

Okay, I'll give Plagg that one. I can't imagine Ladybug- the guy who scolded me for destroying school property for a good cause- use _Cataclysm_. He'd just be an even bigger pain in the butt who won't even use his powers.

"You are simply the best person for this job and you are trusted to use my powers responsibly. It's got nothing to do with your mother, but _you_. Of all the people in this city, the guardian saw potential in _you_ \- Believed people needed _you_. That is why you're chosen to wield my Miraculous. Take it or leave it."

I smirked. I get his real question.

Do you still want to be a hero?

Even if I'm the sidekick, I'm still a hero… Right?

"Fine, I'll take it."

0-0-0-0-0

From the corner of my eye, I saw dots of white floating at the distant evening horizon from my window. Autumn just barely started, those dots couldn't be snow. Before long, more of those white dots appeared all around the city, floating up in the air like a reverse snowfall. Everyone else has noticed and stopped what they were doing to look at the mysterious glowing white dots. As more of them spread around the city, I transformed, climbed up my fire exit, and got a closer look at the white dots.

Or rather, white butterflies.

Butterflies were eerily fluttering everywhere, standing out in stark contrast to the darkness of the night. I warily stepped away from one that was fluttering by right next to me and watched it fly away to the rest of them. As similar as they look to Ladybug's swarm of magical ladybugs that fix everything, there's nothing about those butterflies that feel warm or comforting. Watching them flutter in swarms around the city sent chills down my spine.

Weren't these butterflies the ones that possess items and create villains? The ones from the stolen Butterfly Miraculous?

This would be the most breathtakingly beautiful city-wide threat I've ever seen. Good thing they don't seem to be interested in making monsters out of more people. That would be a nightmare.

The butterflies were fluttering in one direction – the cathedral.

" _ **Citizens of Helios!"**_

I heard a deep, chilly, feminine voice announce. The voice sounded like it was coming from everywhere. Perhaps those butterflies can work like a magical speaker system and channel her voice wherever she wants? That would explain how the Butterfly Miraculous holder could send her commands to her champions.

" _ **Listen to me carefully. I am Hawkmoth!"**_

I narrowed my eyes at the lone figure standing at the top of the cathedral. This woman… She's definitely not Monarch. What happened to him- No. This is not the time to think about him. Focus on the objective! I've got a villain to take down.

From where I'm standing, I could barely see the figure spreading out her arms as if to present herself on a grand stage with the whole city as her audience.

" _ **Ladybug! Chat Noire! You have things that I want. Things that should belong to me."**_

I've had enough hearing her demands. The cathedral wasn't very far from the apartment, so I quickly made my way there. As I got closer to the cathedral, I noticed a huge crowd was forming at the entrance and the policemen were struggling to keep everyone at a safe distance.

" _ **Until you return them, I'm afraid monsters will keep coming to retrieve them from you."**_

This is my dream! Even if I have to live through it as some klutz's sidekick, there is no flipping way I'm going to give up my powers that easily! She can keep making as many monsters as she wants! I don't care! I'll fight them all!

All around me, I heard whispers of people considering her deal… Wishing Ladybug and I would just do as she says and give up our Miraculous to save their butts. The anger bubbling within me sped up my pace towards the cathedral.

" _ **Don't be selfish! The people have suffered enough because of you!"**_

Now she's shifting the blame on us?! I grit my teeth as I willed myself to ignore all the doubtful looks and glares people threw my way as I rushed by. I'm a hero, dammit! Haven't I already made that clear when Ladybug and I defeated Scorch?! Is everyone so stupid to be this easily swayed by a crazy old lady preaching on top of the cathedral?! Sometimes, I wonder what the hell did my parents see in these people that was worth sacrificing their lives for.

When I finally got to the cathedral, no one was paying attention to me. It was a strange feeling to be invisible in a crowd. All eyes were glued on the madwoman with the Butterfly Miraculous as she continues her speech.

Hawkmoth. The old hag looks just like what I'd expect from a villain who'd make others do her dirty work. The sharp purple business suit with a long slit skirt, black leather gloves, and the dark flowing cape give her that 'evil sales agent from hell' vibe. She has silver hair streaked purple that's tied to a bun, and a butterfly shaped mask that covers half of her face. The jeweled cane and the butterfly brooch on a choker completed her look.

" _ **Give me the Miraculous, the Ladybug Earrings and the Black Cat Ring, and I promise everything will go back to normal!"**_

I couldn't hold back the laughter that bubbled up from my throat. Normal? That's the last thing I'd want now that I have the chance of a lifetime to follow my mother's footsteps! I've had enough of this villain monologue!

My laughter quieted down as I sardonically clapped my hands at Hawkmoth's stupid speech.

The crowd around the cathedral finally noticed me. Without having to say a word, they parted to make a path for me to stride towards my official arch nemesis.

"Enough with the mind games Hawkmoth!" I said with an arrogant smirk that serves to hide my growing anger. I am very pleased to see that even the cops stepped out of my way. I've never felt so powerful. I glared up at Hawkmoth. "We're the ones who not only fought Scorch and kept these citizens safe, but fixed everything that got destroyed during the attack! And best of all, we're not asking for anything in return! What about you?"

Hawkmoth's scowl was quickly replaced by a calculating smile. I find it annoying that my speech didn't look like it affected her much, but I can't afford to back down now.

"You just come out of nowhere promising to stop the monsters from cropping up in exchange for magical jewelry," I turn back to eye the audience behind me, the next people I'm planning to tell off. "I don't know about you, but that sounds awfully suspicious. I mean, handing over more power to someone who seems to have control over monsters? That's a sucker's deal if I ever saw one."

Seeing the crowd quiet down and step back with their heads down in shame gave me a sense of satisfaction.

"That was a nice try Hawkmoth, but our actions speak for themselves louder than anything you can say. Don't reverse the roles! _You're_ the one responsible for this mess!"

I felt a slight breeze from behind me. I glanced to my right just in time to see who jumped right by my side.

Ladybug.

There's something different about him, so unlike the annoying fidgety bug I met this morning. At any rate, he seems more composed and ready to battle. While I still don't like the bug, I'm not stupid enough to believe I can handle this all on my own. If Hawkmoth summons another akuma, somebody has to take care of it and the collateral damage.

I flashed him a quick smile before I returned to chewing out Hawkmoth. I pointed my baton accusingly at Hawkmoth.

"If anyone's a villain around here that would be you!"

0-0-0-0-0

Hawkmoth finally appeared. This is my chance to shine! Ladybug may be the more important one when it came to fighting akumas, but I'm still the better fighter. I don't have to hold back against Hawkmoth. I don't have to heal her. I can take her down with no repercussions! For once, I could be the main hero!

I did the most epic verbal beat down recorded on national television. Ladybug has finally pulled himself together and is acting like a competent hero. He's overpowering Hawkmoth and yet his barrage has to end at some point. With the way he's attacking, he's going to tire out quicker than he should. Hawkmoth would surely take the opening to strike, but I won't let her.

At the right time, I threw my baton at Hawkmoth to give Ladybug some breathing space. I caught my baton with a smirk. "Hey! Leave some of the action for me!"

"Cat! Stop joking around and keep her busy!" he growled, frustrated with his quick skirmish with Hawkmoth.

"Well somebody's got their panties in a knot," I muttered under my breath but did as he said anyway.

We were fighting to the death on a cathedral. The fight was fast-paced; any misstep can cost us dearly. At some point, our fight moved from the steep slope of the rooftop outside, to balancing on beams, banisters, and chandeliers in the inside. We're slowly but surely gaining the upper hand. Victory is practically guaranteed once Ladybug summoned Lucky Charm. This was supposed to end right here. Everything was going great for once!

But Ladybug just had to screw this up.

Right in the middle of the fight, he staggered. Hawkmoth smirked and unsheathed her cane to reveal a sword, shining silver under the moonlight. She was coming down on him just as he stopped himself from falling off the beam.

I can't let that happen! He's the only one who can fix everything! He can't go down like this!

Without a second thought, I took the blow for him. I guess 'indestructible' doesn't cover weapons that come with the Miraculous. Pain exploded from where I was hit and swept over my entire body. I nearly lost consciousness. I suddenly felt all the adrenaline in my body drain away. The world feels like it's spinning erratically. I didn't even notice when I started falling. I felt a pair of strong arms catch me.

Ladybug.

Ladybug had already used Lucky Charm. This couldn't be simpler. We've practically won.

" _ **You might wanna use that Lucky Charm to save her, boy."**_

I felt Ladybug stiffen, his heartbeat erratic as he held me closer.

Dammit, Ladybug! This could be our only chance! Don't squander it!

My body refused to move. I have to do something to show Ladybug that I can hold out. That I can wait for a Miraculous Ladybug. With all that's left of my strength, I urged myself to open my eyes and turn my head to Ladybug.

Our eyes met.

What I saw disappointed me. There he was, crouched over as he held me, shaking like a leaf in a storm. Cold sweat was dripping from his forehead. His brown eyes were wide and full of fear.

I scowled.

He looked away from me and back to Hawkmoth. His hand that was holding the Lucky Charm shook. He was seriously considering letting Hawkmoth get away.

The air felt thin, my chest felt tight, but I urged myself to say something.

"Don't let her get away."

If one of us had to go down, it should be me. I did my part, and now it's his turn! Don't let her win! Don't let her go free to keep terrorizing the city we live in! Don't make us fail as heroes because of me!

Hawkmoth was getting away.

Ladybug was shaking as he gripped the jar. I didn't need to look to know what he chose.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

The miraculous cure spread all over the church, fixing all the damages as if they never happened. Then it went to work on me. I felt surrounded in warmth as the pain washed away. I was as good as new.

While the pain disappeared, my frustration with Ladybug didn't.

As soon as I was feeling better, I pushed him off of me. I ran towards the open window and desperately looked around, hoping to find Hawkmoth. It was to no avail. All I saw was an empty night sky, and an equally empty courtyard down below. Even with my night vision, there's not a trace of movement.

Hawkmoth got away.

A growl rumbled in my throat. I glared back at Ladybug.

He cost me a lot today. Pride, glory, victory… _My dream to be a hero._ All of it gone because fate chose this guy to be the hero, and me to be the sidekick. I had a lot to say about Ladybug. Most of them are really awful things.

Hawkmoth should've been defeated by now. We could've succeeded. I would've been a hero. But that dream went down the drain because he decided I'm a damsel in distress. He could've taken down Hawkmoth right then and there! I could've waited for a Miraculous Ladybug! I had a long speech formed in my head, but none of that came out.

As I jumped down from the window and got a closer look, I heard before I saw. He was crying.

"I'm so sorry… I let h-her get away…" he whimpered in between his tears. "She hurt my friends… And I… I-I let my anger get the better of me… I wasn't looking where I was standing… I was so fixated on taking her d-down… Then y-you… I'm sorry!"

It's not every day I see a guy break down like this… Last time I did was the day my brother and I became orphans.

"I-I don't deserve to be a hero," he shakily added.

"Stop that thought right there," I firmly commanded. I can't stand seeing him like this! I have to do something.

I placed both of my hands on his shoulders, careful with keeping my grip tight without hurting him with my claws, and forced him to look at me. I held a steady gaze on his tearful brown eyes, hoping that it would help him believe in what I have to say and make it feel more real.

"Throughout the whole ordeal, you've been nothing but a total goody two shoes! You did everything you can to contain the damages and took hits for civilians before I got to Scorch at the school. If I'm not mistaken, you just got your powers today. Am I right?"

Ladybug weakly nodded.

"Yet you just jumped into danger without a second thought. We've only known each other for not even a day, but I know you are the sort who will place everyone else's wellbeing over your own. Heck, you just saved my _life_."

Keep it together, Chat Noire. You're still alive. Don't let your brush with death bother you now.

"You're a true hero, Ladybug!"

I wasn't quite sure what was I thinking when I said all of that to him. No matter how conflicted I'm feeling right now, I still managed to say it with enough conviction to convince him. I just wanted him to stop his pity party. Before I knew it, I went overboard and said all this stuff just to get him out of his slump… And I realized that maybe I shouldn't have been too critical of him. He fumbled a lot but it's not like he was completely incompetent. It's likely he knew nothing about the Miraculous before becoming a superhero so naturally, he'd struggle at adapting more than I did. He may have let Hawkmoth get away, but I would've been dead if he hadn't…

Ladybug smiled gratefully at me.

"Thank you, Chat Noire."

 _I should be the one thanking you._

I didn't say that out loud. The last scraps of my pride wouldn't let me. Instead, I brushed it off, as if a near-death experience wasn't a big deal and continued to act like nothing bothers me. I still think he could've caught Hawkmoth without letting me die. He had luck on his side.

Everything after that was a blur. I left the first chance I got and hurried back to the apartment.

0-0-0-0-0

"… Why did I even do that for that weirdo?" I asked myself as soon as I was in my room.

"Same reason why the guardian chose you."

Plagg's eyes were glowing like a pair of emerald flames in the dark. Contrary to my expectations, he didn't charge towards his precious camembert as soon as I de-transformed. His tiny arms were folded.

"The guardian would always choose a self-sacrificing fool with a strong sense of justice for my Miraculous. It always comes down to that."

"What?" I scoffed at Plagg's stupid assumption. "You think I'm a self-sacrificing fool?"

"I don't _think_ you're one. I _know_ you're one. Exhibit A: Taking a fatal blow for Ladybug. And on your first day too! Keep this up and you might just break a certain Chat Noir's record! You just made your predecessors proud kid," Plagg sarcastically sneered. It's like he's passive-aggressively upset about this worrying trend among his charges.

"In my defense, I thought you said my suit was indestructible."

"And Ladybug is wearing an indestructible just like yours yet you still took a hit for him instead of letting his suit do its job."

"Which it didn't," I pointed out, more harshly than I intended. Plagg doesn't seem affected so I asked, "What's up with that?"

"It's not like I expected Hawkmoth to know about that blade."

"Elaborate, Plagg."

Plagg rolled his eyes. Obviously, he'd rather not. The only reason he's complying at all is because in his own gruff way, he cares about the survival of his charges and my survival kinda depends on this.

"As you know, the Miraculous comes with default weapons. With enough training and experience, wielders can shape their powers into alternate forms to better suit their needs in place of their one special move. This is why there're legends of mystical swords and armor instead of magical yoyos and extendable batons."

My eyes widen in realization. "So that's why Hawkmoth didn't make a champion… She couldn't once she started using that sword!"

"Yeah. The one she used earlier was a sword made specifically to kill Miraculous Wielders," Plagg ignored the questioning look I shot him. "So no more jumping in front of Hawkmoth's sword, got that?"

"Chill, Plagg. It's not like I was gonna die. Miraculous Ladybug fixes everything," as I said this, I lifted my blouse so I can look at where I was stabbed a few minutes ago. There's no trace of pain. Not even a scar. Good as new. "All he had to do was capture Hawkmoth and everything would've been alright afterwards. It was a pragmatic decision with no real risks."

"Stupid girl, you could've died! Miraculous Ladybug fixes a lot of things, but it can't bring back the dead!"

Hearing that sent a chill up my spine. For a split second, it felt like I was back on the cathedral's roof, feeling the rest of my body going numb with cold save for that one point in my stomach where all the warmth was rushing out.

"I… I almost…"

"If you knew that, would you still jump in front of that sword for Ladybug?"

I don't have an answer for that. I never thought of it that way. I hate to say it but Ladybug's power is more important than Chat Noire's. He's the only one who can fix everything. Logically, I should do everything I can to protect Ladybug from Hawkmoth… But would I really give my life to accomplish that? To Plagg, my silence was a good enough answer. He shook his head in disappointment.

"That's what I thought. You're lucky Ladybug wasn't in the mood to take a gamble."

I felt for that spot where I was stabbed. I could've died if it wasn't for Ladybug. I could've been gone for good like my parents. Luck really was on my side after all.

"And to think I would've yelled at him for it if he hadn't been crying. I feel like an ingrate."

"Psh. Not like you actually yelled at him. You even gave him a motivational speech."

My hands ran through my hair, freeing it from its foxtail.

"I-I could've…"

… Just like my parents… Those self-sacrificing fools…

"You've got a lot on your mind kid. Try not to stay up too late," Plagg said before zooming off to his camembert.

I numbly nodded. My body went on autopilot as I did my nightly beauty regimen, changed to a pair of shorts and a tank top, and threw myself onto my bed. I know I won't be getting much sleep tonight.

Today was quite a rollercoaster of events. I reached over to my stomach where I was stabbed. Less than an hour ago, I nearly died. The memory was crystal clear though I don't have the scar to prove it.

All thanks to Ladybug.

That guy is a pain in the butt from the moment I met him. He's easily carried away by his feelings and doesn't know what he's doing. He gets the more important role, which I felt is wasted on an unreliable guy like him.

At least, that's what I felt before I did that pep talk and had some epiphanies.

Ladybug was a mess of emotions. He went from bumbling like an awkward teenage boy talking to a girl for the first time, to a stoic grouch after defeating Scorch in the span of fifteen minutes. And then Hawkmoth came along and brought out yet another mood out of the already moody bug. He went totally berserk when he fought viciously against Hawkmoth. Apparently, his friends were caught in Scorch's attack so this was personal to him. He had the perfect motivation to want to take down Hawkmoth at all costs. It's also no secret that he doesn't like me.

And yet he chose to save me.

That was quite the wake-up call.

Before today, I thought I had a clear idea of the kind of hero I wanted to be. Someone who fights for justice, defends the weak… All without sacrificing themselves. What's the point of saving the day if you don't get to live to enjoy it?

I didn't want to be a hero for these nameless masses of people who would probably forget to thank me after I saved their butts within a week. I wanted to be a hero for the few who matter, the few who happens to live in the same city as these ingrates. This is why I would strive to save the day: to keep it safe for my loved ones first and foremost and just let others benefit from it. But when it comes down to it, I'd know who to choose between my family and these strangers.

That's the kind of hero I wanted to be. I'd put the people who should matter first and never abandon them for the sake of people I've never even met. Saving everyone else is just a bonus. I won't make the same mistake my parents made. I'll be a better hero than they were.

Now, I'm having second thoughts.

I stared up at my family portrait on the wall.

By the end of the day, it felt like Ladybug was closer to being a true hero than I ever was.

I lay in bed with only one thought in mind as I drifted off to sleep:

 _What does it really mean to be a hero?_

0-0-0-0-0


	3. Scorched Origins P2 Blair's Reality

0-0-0-0-0

 **SCORCHED ORIGINS P2: BLAIR'S REALITY**

I woke up to the sound of my phone beeping viciously with notifications. I could've easily ignored it and slept through it, but my adorable kwami couldn't and decided if he couldn't sleep, neither should I.

"Blaaaaaaaaiiir… shut it off…" Plagg whined, nudging me in the face with his tiny feet.

I groggily picked it up to check what could people be going on about this early in the morning. It occurred to me that today's a school day so it's not like I could sleep in. I quickly scrolled around as I wait for my eyes to adjust to the light.

Hm…

Oh. This is interesting.

"You've had a busy night, huh Ladybug?"

"What did he do noooooow?" Plagg whined, like the cranky kitty he is.

Posted everywhere on the internet was Ladybug's announcement:

' _ATTENTION CITIZENS OF HELIOS_

 _I, LADYBUG, WILL MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE CITY FOUNDER'S STATUE TODAY AT 5:00PM. I INVITE YOU ALL TO BE THERE. ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WERE THERE DURING THE SCORCH INCIDENT. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, I WILL ANSWER THEM. I BELIEVE YOU, THE CITIZENS OF HELIOS, DESERVE TO KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN YOUR CITY AND TO BETTER PREPARE YOU FOR WHAT'S TO COME. BUT DO NOT WORRY. WE HEROES WILL BE AROUND TO PROTECT YOU._

 _LADYBUG'_

Even in text, Ladybug is a loud one.

"At least learn to use proper caps, you dork."

It was blissful for five minutes until I remembered school will start in thirty minutes. I jumped out of bed and started preparing for the day.

0-0-0-0-0

"Whyyy do we have to go to schoooool?" Plagg whined from my bed as I scurried around my room picking up things I'm going to need.

"Because I don't want to waste the sponsorship I fought tooth and nail for," I flatly said, not in the mood to deal with his whining. "Besides, I already lost a major paycheck to help that old lady yesterday."

When I reached my vanity, I stopped. My hair ribbon is there, right where I left it last night. I picked it up and looked at myself in the mirror. Should I tie it back to its usual foxtail?

Well, technically, I don't know what this hairstyle is called. I just call it a foxtail because that's my mother's hairstyle whenever she transforms into Volpina. I've been styling my hair that way since childhood. At first, it was because I wanted to become a hero just like her. Now, I just do it to remember her by…

I looked back down to my hands, one already holding the hair ribbon, the other wearing the Black Cat Miraculous. It's nothing like my mother's fox tail necklace, the Miraculous of Illusion. This is my reality. I'm the Black Cat of Destruction, Chat Noire… All that power, but I can't save anyone. Can I even call myself a hero?

"Ugh… Where's the camembert?"

And as expected, my helpful kwami's stomach is more important than my dilemma.

"Didn't you finish it all yesterday?"

"Yeah. With all the transforming we did yesterday, I needed all of it to recover my energy! Next time, buy it in bulks."

I raised a brow at his proposition. "Can I even trust you to ration it properly?"

"Depends. How much do I have to exert my energy so you can kick butt as _Chat Noire_?"

With a groan, I gave in to the kwami's whims. Hero or not, I don't wanna give up my Miraculous just yet. "… Fine! I'll buy your stupid cheese!"

I gripped the ribbon and decided to tie my hair into a foxtail. It'll be best to pretend everything is alright in Blair Town and not give Blake any reasons to ask if I'm alright. Lying to him is the last thing I wanna do right now. I picked up Plagg and put him in a purse.

"Now you keep quiet. My brother and I are gonna walk to school and he might hear you."

For once, Plagg decided to behave and stayed quiet in my bag. I greeted my brother downstairs and we quietly walked our way towards school.

0-0-0-0-0

When the school was within sight, I was greeted with an interesting scene.

Standing at the entrance was a brunet haired boy. He was easy to spot with his orange plaid button up. From the way he keeps looking up from his phone, it's a safe bet that he's waiting for someone. Strangely, most of the people around him seemed to be on edge as they pass him by.

"By the way sis," Blake said, breaking my trance. "Since you weren't around during first period yesterday, I should tell you that the guy you're looking at is in our class. His name is Keagan Gerald Aurelio-Ashworth, the mayor's son. You probably know him better as Scorch."

It was a little strange that no one tried to arrest Scorch. It was even weirder that no one on the evening news is talking about his real identity. Hawkmoth made the headlines minutes after she revealed herself, and she's still flooding the morning news. Scorch, on the other hand, is hardly mentioned after yesterday noon.

"That explains why no one's talking about his identity in the news. It would look bad for the mayor to broadcast his son's brief stint as a supervillain," I said.

Talk about scandalous. Granted, I was so distracted with my own drama yesterday that Scorch's identity didn't seem like a big deal at the time.

"From what I know of him, before he- you know- went supernova… He seems like a nice guy," Blake stated.

I stared down the brunet, scrutinizing him from head to toe. Messy brown hair, a tall somewhat lanky frame, and posture that would make even Prince Charming fume with envy.

He was standing by the entrance all alone until his friends have arrived.

He's apologizing to the pink haired midget in a navy blue hoodie. She seems familiar, but I can't place my finger on where I've seen her before. From what I can hear, the girl was mad because she couldn't contact him yesterday. Apparently, the brunet put his phone on airplane mode to avoid hate mail.

Then his other friend, a boy with glasses and bluish black hair, came along. The midget quickly rounded on the glasses boy, only for the glasses boy to bow at them. The brunet in orange plaid couldn't even make the nerdy glasses boy budge from bowing, while the punk midget managed to pull him up with just one hand. The brunet tried his best to reassure his bespectacled friend who stubbornly insists on apologizing.

Looking at him now, I couldn't believe he was that same fire monster who attacked school.

Judging from the wary looks people are giving him, it's likely that everyone else still sees him that way: As the fire monster. Even when the truth is he's the real victim.

"What do you think?" Blake questioned. Judging by my brother's stance, I can safely assume I'm not the only one who connected the dots between Hawkmoth and Monarch. He knows how their powers work. He knows Princey over there is innocent.

"I think I'd talk to him and see for myself," I said as I strode ahead of my twin towards the ex-villain.

The brunet and his group of friends notice me coming their way and put a lid on their conversation. I said nothing as I looked them over. My brother eventually caught up.

The mayor's son seems to be the most social one in their trio since he's the first one to greet us. "Hey Blake! This is my other best bud, Shizuke Midorikawa."

The orange plaid boy gestured towards his bespectacled friend. Standing next to a pink haired punk and a modern day prince, he sticks out as the plain one. Kinda like a DUFF. With the glasses and the sweater vest, he looks like he could be the poster boy for the nerdy Asian stereotype. Contrary to my expectations, Shizuke just looks us over neutrally, unaffected by the fact that he's standing next to two of the most popular teen models in this side of the city.

"Cool," Blake said keeping his usual poker face. Funny how often people think he's being cool or snobby when in actuality, he's just freezing up from shyness.

The blue-black haired boy eyed us critically as he adjusted his glasses and greeted him back with an equally deadpan, "Nice to meet you too."

At my side, Blake winced from having his mild rudeness get highlighted by the nerd. But to others, I bet he just looked annoyed. Glasses boy seems to thinks so, judging from his displeased frown.

"And this is…?" the brunet prompted, snapping my introverted twin's attention back to the conversation.

"This is my twin sister, Blair," he introduced me, before introducing the others. "The girl with pink hair is Fiona Kuznetsov… And the guy in the orange plaid is Keagan Gerald Aurelio-Ashworth," he stiffly added the last introduction, feeling a little awkward since we were just talking about him.

The ex-villain looked a bit uneasy sensing the awkwardness radiating off Blake.

I try to calm him down with a polite smile.

"So, you're Scorch."

… And then address the elephant in the room with all the tact of a brick thrown through a glass window.

People should know by now that I don't do cruel things without a reason. I'm a pragmatist at heart. Not very heroic, I know, but I don't have time to do this the nice way and politely ask everyone to assess just how bad the situation is. People will be completely biased and say things that will either make themselves sound braver or nicer than they really are or even blow the whole thing out of proportion out of fear. They won't be completely honest in fear of triggering Scorch's return.

And with just three words, I got so many conductive results.

Keagan flinched, and guilt was written all over his face.

Shizuke and Fiona instantly glared at me and took a step closer to Keagan's sides.

As for everyone else, some jumped back at the mention of the villain's name, others walked faster away from the brunet, and then there was a particular group of upperclassmen who outright screamed and ran for their lives.

I just broke the calm. They stopped trying to hide it. Everyone else kept their distance as much as possible. The crowd walking towards school parted around him like the red sea did for Moses.

"Yes, I _was_ ," the plaid boy curtly confirmed with a sharp emphasis on the past-tense.

This couldn't go on. Keagan Gerald Ashworth was a victim of Hawkmoth's, not a monster. Somebody has to do something.

… _A hero would do something._

 _Ladybug is already planning on doing something._

 _While I'm not._

"You know, Ladybug's going to make an announcement at City Square. You should totally be there if you want to know more about your situation."

I walked away, ignoring his calls to come back and explain. His friends are there with him. They can explain things for him.

 _I'm not needed anyway._

0-0-0-0-0

"You owe them an apology," Blake scolded as soon as I entered the classroom.

Since I wasn't around for the first day, the seats were assigned and for once, the Crawford twins are NOT seated together.

However, we're both in the front row and the only thing separating us is the lane right in the middle. Blake is sharing a desk with a sleeping lavender haired boy. Figures he'd share a desk with the one guy in class who's more anti-social than him.

"Eh? Why should I? I was only asking him if he really was Scorch. Can you blame me for finding it hard to believe?"

"Sis, it may not be a big deal to you, but it is to them. I think that deserves an apology."

I pouted at Blake.

Blake didn't drop the subject and pointed at the empty seats around me.

"They will be sitting all around you for the rest of the school year. Are you sure you're okay with them glaring holes behind your back 'til we graduate junior high?"

Before I can argue back, the three of them entered the classroom and sat all around me just as Blake said.

I'm stuck sharing a desk with the mayor's son, and the boy stayed a respectable distance away from me. Notably, he was the first one to take a seat. I think it's because he noticed how hostile his friends were towards me, so he decided to play peacemaker and sat with me. His fuming friends warily took the seats on the desk behind us, glasses boy in particular is the one directly behind me. Both of them are glaring holes at me, just as Blake predicted.

Blake sent me one last look that clearly said 'stop being petty and just apologize'.

Ugh. They're gonna make my school year difficult if I don't apologize, huh?

I was about to turn to them when our teacher entered the room and started taking attendance.

I decided to do the next best thing and pass them a note for now, just to make sure they'd stick around when I apologize.

0-0-0-0-0

As soon as the bell for lunch break rang, the glasses boy shot out of the classroom without a second glance at me. Rude. After all the effort I made to arrange this meeting. Most guys would be tripping over themselves just to meet me!

At least the other two are still here.

The girl with the pink pixie cut is still glaring at me with the iciest blue eyes I've ever seen and has seated herself on top of her desk so she can look down on me menacingly. She has to because if we were standing, she's almost a whole head shorter than me and that would ruin the intimidating effect she was aiming for.

The brunet boy, on the other hand, is much more neutral, wearing a calm attentive expression fit for a congress meeting.

Blake, ever the supportive twin, is still in his seat watching over us.

"Okay," I started as my hand ran through my hair. Nervous habit. "I wanted to properly apologize for being tactless this morning. I didn't mean to be insensitive."

"Oh, that's okay. You weren't there when it happened so I can't blame you for taking the situation so lightly," Keagan immediately replied.

My eyes widen at how quickly he accepted my apology. Poor innocent boy. He has no idea. I was at the front lines. I even smacked him in the head once.

"Still, I should apologize. It was a sensitive topic. I'm sorry," I insisted.

"Oh, you better be," growled Fiona.

Keagan looked up to his friend and gently nudged her leg. "C'mon, lighten up Fuyu. It's not a big deal," his voice was light until a frown crossed his face. "Besides, there are people who have done worse and still haven't apologized to me. At least she approached us and said 'sorry'."

The girl's glare on me is starting to waver. She looked away from me and frowned at the boy.

"Ugh. Fine. If you say so," she relented, before training her ice cold gaze at me. "Just don't mention that around us again. Got it?"

I solemnly nodded.

These guys are seriously traumatized and I was being a huge insensitive jerk this morning. Not a word of the 'Scorch' incident will ever escape my mouth around them ever again.

"Now that that's settled, let's start over," Keagan started.

He offered me his hand. I looked at it curiously.

"Hi, I'm Keagan Gerald Aurelio-Ashworth. If you look to your left, you can see my house from here," he gestured to the windows where sure enough, the Ashworth castle can be seen on the horizon.

I chuckled. I think I could get along with this guy. Maybe we could even be friends.

"The name's Blair Crawford, but you probably already know that with my face plastered on every other billboard in the city, right next to my brother's," I tilted my head towards Blake, who was trying to hide his head under his arms.

The pink haired girl rolled her eyes at our antics.

"Fiona Kuznetsov. I can kick everyone's butts if I wanted to. Remember that and you'll be fine," she joined in our jokes anyway. She seems like a cool person under all that grouchiness.

"So Blair, Blake, wanna have lunch with us? Maybe Shizuke would show up," the brunet, Keagan, suggested.

I offered him a smile.

"Sounds good to me."

0-0-0-0-0

Keagan and Fiona separated from us to buy lunch at the cafeteria, even though Fiona clearly brought spare ribs for lunch. She's just there to glare at anyone who gives Keagan funny looks.

That was when Blake decided that now would be a good time to drop a bomb on me. I felt like kicking myself for not realizing it when it was standing right in front of me.

"She what?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"I didn't realize it until I saw her running after Keagan just now," Blake stared off at the direction where we last saw the duo. "It makes sense that the girl Ladybug saved on his debut was Fiona. Why else would anyone chase a walking firestorm? The pink hair should've been a dead giveaway."

"Don't feel too bad," I said, putting a hand over his shoulder reassuringly. "I saw the news. I was just too focused on Ladybug to pay attention to everyone else."

"Good thing he came when he did, huh?"

I felt something weigh heavily on my chest. I knew Scorch – _Keagan_ \- almost killed people with his reckless fire attacks raining down on the school. Just last night, I learned that Miraculous Ladybug couldn't bring the dead back to life. People could've died yesterday. _Keagan would've been a murderer, and his best friend would've been his first victim._

Ladybug immediately jumped into action without fully understanding his powers. If he didn't do that… If he didn't came when he did…

"Uhh… Sis? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Blake said, giving me a worried look.

"I could've… Fiona might not be here if it weren't for him."

Not just Fiona… I'd be dead too if it weren't for him. Keagan would never be able to forgive himself... Blake would've been left all alone… I'd die as a shallow imitation of our parents. Guilt gnawed at me from the inside. I realize how selfish I've been since I got the Black Cat Miraculous, caring more about my jaded dreams than the danger everyone else is in because of Hawkmoth. One thing's for sure…

"Ladybug is a true hero."

"I couldn't agree more."

We looked up and saw Keagan standing behind us holding a lunch tray and a crooked smile, guilty as charged for listening in on our gossip session… Or maybe he looks guilty because he heard us talking about how Fiona could've died because of him. Fiona was right behind him glaring at us like an overprotective paladin. The irony of their true dynamic isn't lost on me - it's not every day you see a 'damsel' protect the 'monster' who put her in distress. It's amazing how their relationship (whatever it is) is still standing after everything that's happened.

The two of them sat across from us. Fiona's in a significantly less friendly mood, glaring at anyone who looks our way longer than necessary. Keagan on the other hand didn't seem mad at us, valiantly ignoring the people whispering around us. After what I've just learned, I've developed a newfound respect for Keagan and Fiona. In their own ways, they're brave.

After we finished lunch, Keagan pulled out his phone and grinned at us as though someone told him Christmas is coming early this year.

"Wanna see my exclusive video on the heroes?"

Keagan didn't take 'no' for an answer. As it turns out, he was there the whole time when Hawkmoth made her first public appearance. He also showed us a prototype of his new purpose in life. The blog's purpose is to collect data on akuma, alert people of their appearance, and help authorities in figuring out how to better deal with akuma attacks and victims.

He calls it the _Ladyblog_. Not very subtle with his favoritism, but I can't blame him. Even if Ladybug had every reason to be mad at him for technically being the one who put his friends in danger, Ladybug still spared some of his limited time to personally cheer him up. Earlier that day, Ladybug also saved his pseudo-girlfriend's life.

Ladybug inspired him to do this. Just like a hero should.

0-0-0-0-0

After lunch, we all went our separate ways. Keagan and Fiona wanted to look for Shizuke while Blake needed his daily alone time after socializing with those two. I was walking around school, trying to memorize the layout, when I bumped into someone. Literally.

Before I could fall face first onto the floor, a hand caught me by the waist and held me close. My face was about two inches away from what looked like Keagan wearing a wavy platinum blond wig. As he helped me regain my balance, he swept down and kissed the back of my hand. If this were an anime, there'd probably be roses blooming around him by now.

"Careful, princess. The floor is no place for a beauty such as yourself."

With the sunlight streaming down the window behind him giving him an ethereal glow, and a flash of pearly white teeth he paid some dentist a hefty sum to polish, this guy has perfected the Prince Charming look. Probably had years of practice.

And to that, I snorted.

Prince Wannabe's face twitched, but he retained his pleasant smile.

"I'm Leonardo Arthur Aurelio," he winked at me. "But you can call me 'Leo'."

I was barely paying attention. In fact, I was looking past him and saw a familiar blue-black haired nerd trailing sheepishly after a teacher across the hall. Not-Keagan noticed and for a split second, his smile fell into a scowl, hands reaching up to fix his collar. I didn't care. I have a nerd to follow.

"And I'm leaving, but you can call me never," I gave him a tight fake smile and walked around him. Five steps later, the Casanova Wannabe blocked my way.

"You look familiar," he leaned down close to my face. "Have we met?"

That's it. Prince Weeb here just lost all his entertainment value.

"Nope," I bopped him on the nose and gently pushed him away. "But my face is everywhere these days."

Blondie snapped his fingers. "Oh! You're Aphrodite's newest model, Blair Crawford!"

"Yep. The one and only. Now if you'll excuse me-"

"How about I walk you to your class?"

Peering over his shoulder, I could tell that Shizuke was long gone. I dropped the fake smile and leveled him with a glare. "No."

"C'mon, princess. Don't be shy…" he reached over to me, but I grabbed his wrist before he could touch me. He winced in pain. Geez, what a wimp. I'm not even gripping him that hard.

"What part of 'no' don't you understand? The 'n' or the 'o'?" I placed his hand back to his chest and took a step away from him. I'm not familiar with the school and Shizuke could be anywhere by now. I'm just gonna have to backtrack my way back to class. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have classes to attend."

Thankfully, Leo didn't follow me. I hastened my steps and blended into a crowd just to make extra sure.

As for Shizuke, I'll just deal with him later. I'm sure I'll see him again in less than half an hour, once lunch break ends. Call it stereotypical, but Shizuke doesn't seem like the sort to skip class.

0-0-0-0-0

Technically, Shizuke didn't skip class. But he's late. And the reason behind it is something I never would've expected:

"I can't believe Shizuke got sent to the guidance counselor's office."

"What did he do?"

"I heard he beat up the G.C.'s son."

"No way!"

"Way!"

"I saw him pin Leo to a shelf with a chokehold! It. Was. Hot."

"We don't need to hear your yaoi fantasies."

"But damn, that nerd's in trouble… Not even being friends with the Mayor's friggin' son could help him out of that."

"Well good riddance. No one's gonna yell at me for sleeping in class anymore."

"S-Shizuke's a stickler for the rules! H-He wouldn't do something that could get him exp-p-pelled…"

"I was there when it happened. Leo called Keagan a monster. And that he deserves to die."

"Oh… No wonder he snapped."

"Though, Leo does have a point. I don't feel safe with Keagan around. Not even Fiona's safe from him."

The whole school is buzzing about him. At some point during lunch break, he kicked ass. And the poor ass he kicked belongs to Leo.

Now, I'm not surprised Shizuke could win in a fight against Leo. If I can easily push him away with little effort, I'm sure the average person can handle him just fine. What I didn't expect was how one-sided their fight apparently was. From what I can gather, Shizuke had him down in ten seconds flat. Apparently, Shizuke is in the Judo club. What a surprise, trading one Asian stereotype for another.

Fiona is sitting behind me with a proud smile on her face, humming a happy tune. Keagan, on the other hand, was curled over his desk with worry. It's like these two swapped places.

"Shouldn't you be a little more worried about Shizu?!"

Fiona snorts in a completely unladylike way. "In a fight against Leo? Please. Shizu can handle that limp noodle any day of the week. I'm just proud he's putting all those Judo lessons to good use."

"That's not what I meant! This doesn't sound like something Shizu would do… This isn't like him… What could've pushed him…?"

"Maybe Leo opened his mouth long enough and I wasn't there to shut him up."

"Fuyu! This is not the time for jokes!"

I held back a snicker. Keagan's right, this should be a serious matter; his bestie just got sent to the guidance counselor. But with the way Fiona's acting… No wait, now she's frowning. Now I definitely can't laugh.

"I'm serious. Leo's lucky I wasn't there," Fiona muttered darkly, her icy blue eyes gleaming with malice. "If what he said can push even Shizu to raise a fist… I wouldn't be as merciful as Shizu."

Yikes. It's a good thing I made amends with her then.

The class suddenly fell quiet. We looked out the door and saw the man of the hour has finally arrived. Shizuke entered the classroom, fists clenched tight and face set in a frown full of grim determination.

"Everyone, I'm sure you've heard about my trip to the guidance counselor today," Shizuke said, marching up towards the teacher's empty desk. "And I'm sure you're all wondering why I got sent there."

The class remained quiet, none dared to speak up; none except for my seatmate that is. "Is it true that you got in trouble because of me?"

"Yes. Your cousin said horrible things about you…"

"As usual, he speaks nothing but fluent cow dung," Fiona retorted from the side.

Shizuke's eyes narrowed and his mouth turned to a stern frown.

Fiona shrugged. "What? It's true."

The glasses boy groaned into his palm, but that small smile he's trying to hide tells everyone he's not as annoyed as he's trying to make himself out to be. Fiona's low snicker tells me she riled him up as an ice breaker. Shizuke took a deep breath before looking back up with a determined glare.

"I don't have to repeat anything Leo said. I'm sure you all heard some version of it anyway. Let it be clear to you all that I will not tolerate anyone repeating what Leo said or did, ESPECIALLY around Kaji. Understood?"

There were murmurs of agreement in the class. Shizuke, having run out of things to say, shuffled up to his seat behind me.

"Look at the bright side; at least now you can say you've had the full school experience," Fiona said, in a half-hearted attempt to lighten up their situation.

"You didn't lose your scholarship over this, did you?" Keagan asked worriedly.

Crud. Now I feel like I'm intruding. But with every other seat occupied, I don't have a choice but to listen in on them sorting out their problems.

Shizuke shook his head. "No. Just a month of helping the library and a fifty page essay on responsible martial arts."

"Huh. You got off easy. Weird," Fiona said.

"And crazy lucky," Keagan added, his mouth a firm line and arms crossed, looking strict for once. "It was Leo you got into a fight with. I doubt my cousin would let this be the end of it. I'd keep my guard up if I were you."

Shizuke nodded, not faltering at all.

"By the way, Shizu," Keagan said, flashing a small smile. "Thanks."

Shizuke scrunched his brows. "For what?"

"For standing up for me. I thought that… You were…"

"This idiot thought that you were avoiding him," Fiona helpfully supplied. She turned to Kaji with an all-knowing smile. "Ye of so little faith."

"Fuyu! Can't you let me come up with a less embarrassing way to phrase that?!"

"Watching you tripping over your words is embarrassing enough. Might as well do it the quick and painless way, oh faithless one."

Keagan slumped down on his desk like a drama queen and made exaggerated sobbing sounds. "Oh, woe is I, who hath questioned thy power of friendship."

"Kaji stop that and get up! Your bag is gonna fall!"

That got a few snickers from the class. Picking himself up from his slump, Keagan beamed at Shizuke and Fiona. "Seriously guys, thanks for having my back."

"Always," Fiona said.

"I… _We_ won't let Hawkmoth get to you again," Shizuke said.

I peeled my eyes off them and slumped down my seat. For a split second, I imagined myself in their shoes: if either Blake or I became Scorch… If one of us gets controlled into killing the other against our will. Bile threatened to rise up my throat but I kept it down. What Hawkmoth did is despicable on the surface. Digging a little deeper, I realize how truly twisted and inhumane her use of the Butterfly Miraculous is.

This isn't just Ladybug and Chat Noire's fight. This could be anyone's fight, and only two are lucky enough to be given a Miraculous to fight back with. Two are given the power to rise and fight for the people who can't do it themselves. True heroes.

… Wouldn't the Black Cat Miraculous be better off with someone who better fits that description?

0-0-0-0-0

Dismissal finally came, and Shizuke once again shot out of the classroom. I threw Keagan and Fiona a confused look. His friends just shrugged at his antics. I waved them and my brother goodbye and ran to catch up to the eccentric glasses boy.

Luck was on my side for once when it started to rain. That should at least slow him down. He's by the lockers. I couldn't help but snicker at the situation. Who would've thought that the day would come that I would ever need to chase and corner a guy?

Since I wasn't carrying all of my books like he is, I was faster. Before he can grab his umbrella, I snatched it and held it just out of his reach.

"Hello there! I believe we have something to talk about," I greeted, while expertly twirling his umbrella around my fingers.

His shoulders tensed. He recognized my voice. Being a model student that he is, he wouldn't dare to drop all his precious books just to fight me over his umbrella.

I smirked. Caught him right where I wanted.

"What do you want?" he angrily huffed, most of his face partially obscured by the books he was clumsily balancing on his arms.

I smoothly picked up the top three books so I can see his face. Hmm… He's actually not that bad looking for a nerd now that I'm looking at him up close. Small button nose, neat bluish black hair, warm brown eyes offset by his square, thick-rimmed glasses… He's the kind of good looking that's unassuming until you get a nice long look at him and realize his potential to clean up nicely.

His brown eyes are lividly glaring at me. Better cut straight to the point.

"I want to apologize for being rude to your friend," I stated in a business tone, while putting those books away back into his locker. He didn't seem to mind.

"Is that it? Okay. Sure. Apology accepted. Can you please give me my umbrella back? I have someplace else to be," he hurriedly said.

I frowned. He is completely shrugging me off. He tried to take his umbrella back, but I cut him off.

"Look, can you just slow down for a minute and hear me out?"

"You wanted to apologize, and I accepted your apology. What more do you want?"

"A lot of things actually," without really thinking about it, that just slipped out of my mouth.

I want the partner fighting by my side to be my brother. I want Hawkmoth to be taken down. I want to be a hero… I want to know what it truly means to be a hero… to understand why _they_ left me and Blake behind... I want to know why I'm chosen to be the Black Cat when there's no need for one.

"But we don't always get what we want."

"… You're not wrong about that," Shizuke said. His tense shoulders loosened and his glare softened to a look of sympathy… Or maybe it's pity. "Sometimes, it's less about getting what you want, and more about having what you need."

There's something about the way he said that that made me feel like he knows exactly what he's talking about. It feels like if there's anyone in this school who could understand what I'm going through, it would be him.

I shook that thought out of my head. Focus Blair!

"I wasn't there when that… _incident_ happened," I said, avoiding the name 'Scorch'. "But that doesn't excuse my lack of sensitivity approaching the topic. You three were clearly deeply affected, and-"

"I wasn't there either."

That's surprising. With the way he reacted, I thought he had a front row seat watching his best guy friend burn down the school and his best lady friend along with it.

"But I should've been. My friends needed me, but I couldn't be there for them," Shizuke looked me in the eye, his brown eyes full of sincerity. "I shouldn't be mad at you for not understanding how this affects us. Unlike _some_ people, at least you're not treating Kaji like he's a monster."

He even gave me a convenient excuse for my lack of tact. I should just leave it there and move on.

"He's just a victim of Hawkmoth. Probably the first of many after the heroes failed to capture her," I couldn't help but bitterly spat.

It was all my fault, really. Things were going well, Ladybug already had the Lucky Charm out, but I just had to go and let myself get fatally injured.

"Hey! They did their best!" glasses boy defended. Woops. My disappointment must've been too obvious.

"Their best wasn't enough," I flatly said. "Hawkmoth is still out there and she can still make monsters out of anyone in this city."

"That's why the heroes are having an announcement at the City Square! They will explain the situation to help us better prepare! They are doing what they can to protect the citizens!"

I scoffed. The way this guy is talking, he makes it sound like I'm some great hero. That was all Ladybug. He may have been a moody mess, but at least his heart was in the right place. All Chat Noire did was think about herself. Where did that get her?

Shizuke frowned, eyes glinting behind his glasses as if he's challenging me. "What?"

"How can you still have so much faith in them after they failed?" I said with a sardonic smirk and crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm sure you've seen Keagan's video too. They were lucky that Hawkmoth didn't just finish them off when she had the chance."

That's the one thing I couldn't figure out about Hawkmoth. She had us at her mercy. She could've taken the two Miraculous she wanted… Yet she didn't. And it frustrates me that I can't figure out why.

Shizuke's nose scrunched up as he furrowed his brows in deep concentration. After a short while, he said, "Yeah, they were lucky. But that doesn't change the fact that they did everything they could to stop Hawkmoth. Especially Chat Noire."

Had I been drinking something, I would've spat it all out after hearing his statement.

"You can't be serious."

Now the bespectacled boy looked downright indignant. "I am! What do you have against Chat Noire?!"

I rolled my eyes. "Let me guess, you're a fanboy? Well before you get all defensive about your new waifu, let me ask you: What's the point of her being here?" I raised a hand and began counting down with my fingers as I enumerated, "She can't return anyone to normal. She can't fix anything. She can't stop Hawkmoth…" I put my hand down and glared at the nerd. "The best she could do was to take a sword to the gut so Ladybug could stick around to fix everything. Is that what passes for a hero nowadays? Someone who'd die unable to stop one bad guy?"

My parents may have died, but at least they stopped the bad guys. The people of Helios could live in peace for a couple more years thanks to them. But what about me? I would've died not even able to stop one. Some hero I was.

Meanwhile, the blue-black haired bespectacled nerd was downright seething with a glare that could give Fiona a run for her money.

"Chat Noire is a true hero and I will not stand by and let you belittle her efforts!"

My eyes widen at what he said. The way he said it, there's not a single shred of doubt.

Shizuke took a pause to calm himself down. Taking a deep breath, he continued.

"Ladybug may have been the first to jump into a fight against Scorch but Chat Noire was the one who ended it. When the people of Helios were losing faith and were ready to turn against them just because Hawkmoth spouted a pack of lies, Chat Noire was the one who set them all straight. Chat Noire wouldn't have gotten stabbed if Ladybug didn't stumble in the middle of their fight against Hawkmoth. She showed nothing but bravery and level-headedness where everyone else was swept away with all the chaos Hawkmoth brought. She's a great hero! So don't you dare talk about her like she's done nothing right when the city clearly needs a hero like her!"

Shizuke suddenly snapped his mouth shut. And just like that, he went from a fierce defender to a sheepish and awkward teenage boy like any other.

He may not have been there, but he saw everything… And yet he still believes in me.

"I better go," Shizuke said, breaking our awkward staring contest.

Looking at the clock hung up the door, I saw it's already four thirty. I think I've kept him long enough...

"Are you gonna attend the heroes' announcement?" I asked. Why else would he be in a rush-

"I've got stuff to do," he said, gesturing to the books he was carrying.

"I see."

Why do I feel disappointed? One person not attending shouldn't make a difference… But this is the one person who still believes in me despite everything he saw.

"May I…?" he asked, a hand reaching out for his umbrella in my hand.

"Oh," I put the umbrella on top of his pile of books.

The atmosphere around us suddenly felt heavy. I feel like I have to do something about it. I don't want to leave things like this.

"Just know that I'm sorry about what happened to your friend," I said in a hopefully comforting tone. "His feelings were taken advantage of. He shouldn't feel too bad about it. Noor-" I bit my tongue. Crud. That just slipped. Then again, it's not like he knows who Nooroo is. I could just pass it off as a stammer. "Nor should you."

There's just something about this guy that makes me feel comfortable around him. Not in the same way as my brother, but I get the feeling it can get there someday. All too soon, that feeling is gone.

"Right," he said with a more clipped voice.

The tension is back with a vengeance. Just when I thought we were starting to get along, the atmosphere suddenly went cold, and it's not just because of the ongoing rain outside.

"… See you around then, Shizuke?"

"Of course," he mechanically said.

It's like I took one step forward, then two steps back with him.

Shizuke turned away from me and made his way to the door. Then, just a step away from the exit, he stopped. His shoulders shook but he didn't turn around to face me. With a voice full of certainty, he said:

"The heroes will get her one day. I believe in that."

Heroes, huh? The only hero around here is Ladybug. But this guy somehow believes Chat Noire is just as heroic as Ladybug, if not more so. The way he called us heroes, it's like Ladybug and Chat Noire are equals – it's like he has so much faith in the both of us, not just Ladybug…

So maybe I had been lacking something to be considered a true hero… But here's someone who believes I am one. And maybe, just maybe, he's not the only one counting on me.

"I've got a speech to crash," I muttered to myself.

Knowing Ladybug, he's going to need all the help he can get once he faces the press. Luckily for him, I'm good with the press.

Shizuke got his umbrella into one of his hands and opened it by the time he was out the door and into the rain. If he didn't have his books, I bet he would be running by now.

I'll just have to set him aside and worry about him later. At present, I have more important things to worry about. I ran through the rain and ducked into a small alleyway under a fire escape. If the rain was good for anything, it's keeping people trapped inside and keeping the streets empty.

"Ready to go, Plagg?"

Plagg huffed inside my purse. "I didn't know Chat Noire _needed_ to be there too."

"Well someone's gotta save Ladybug from a pack of wolves armed with mikes and cameras."

"Do we really have to?"

I rolled my eyes. My kwami is truly a bottomless well of support.

"Plagg, claws out!"

0-0-0-0-0

As the time for Ladybug's scheduled public press conference came closer, the rain was steadily easing up. It's like the weather is trying to help him get through this undisturbed. Surprisingly, I got to the City Square first before Ladybug. A crowd of reporters were already there and wasted no time snapping pictures of me as I landed on top of the city founder's statue. Normally, I'd be posing for the camera but I'm not in the mood. My attention was focused on looking for any signs of Ladybug. I would've thought he would be the punctual type. I guess I was wrong.

Just two minutes before our scheduled start, I heard the whizzing sound of Ladybug's yoyo and soon enough he came swinging in… With Keagan and Fiona in tow. The bug hero landed at the base of the city founder's statue, carefully setting down my two classmates. As soon as they landed, the reporters quickly pounced on the curious trio. Cameras as far as the eye can see flashed like a glittering ocean as the reporters asked them a million questions at the same time that they just mushed together into discernable sounds.

I take back comparing the reporters to a pack of wolves. Seeing them now, they're more like a school of piranhas who smelled the blood of a certain bug hero, the girl he saved, and the former villain who tried to kill her - a very interesting trio. Who wouldn't want a scoop of that? This cat better come to their rescue.

I jumped off the city founder's statue with a loud hoot to catch their attention, pirouetted in the air before landing in a bow between Ladybug and the reporters.

"Chat Noire! You came!" Ladybug looked just about ready to hug me in gratitude. A complete one-eighty from the cold reception I got yesterday.

I sprung back up with a smirk and winked at Ladybug.

"Is there anywhere else you'd rather I'd be?"

Rather than getting annoyed at my sassy remark, his smile just got wider.

"I'm glad you're here."

That made me pause. He really does seem genuinely happy to see me… Like he really needed me and I came through for him.

The uproar of reporters reminded me of their existence.

I spun my staff, extended it, and balanced it over my squared shoulders, like an improvised one-person barrier that's not about to budge for them.

"Settle down people! We know you have a lot of questions, and we're willing to answer them! All we ask of you is to please listen to what Ladybug has to say first! He's here to make an announcement!"

The reporters quickly backed off. There were murmurs among them and they raised more boom mikes. At least they stopped talking for the most part.

Ladybug shot me a grateful smile. This was his idea after all. He should be the first one bite the bullet. Or dip his toe into the pool of piranhas. He ducked under my staff and stepped forward.

Before he can get a word out, we heard screams coming from the back of the crowd. Ladybug and I quickly prepared for an attack. We were anticipating either another corrupted champion or Hawkmoth herself. What we got instead was a swarm of purple butterflies fluttering just outside the gates.

The throngs of people wisely avoided Hawkmoth's creepy little minions as they entered City Square. The akumas gave off a toxic purple glow as they slowly fluttered towards the city founder's statue. They stopped a few feet in front of us, where they flew into a swirling formation that got tighter and tighter until it took on a familiar shape.

If her intention was to creep us out, I'm sad to say she succeeded. There in front of us stood a life sized form of Hawkmoth completely made out of akumas. She even made them go through the effort of forming gaps for her glowing eyes and mouth.

" _ **Hello,**_ **heroes** _ **,"**_ she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm when she called us 'heroes'. _**"Mind if I crash your little speech ceremony?"**_

Ladybug visibly bristled beside me with clenched fists. He glared down at her with barely contained anger and asked, "What do you want?"

" _ **Your Miraculous, of course. Have I not made myself clear yesterday?"**_

"Then let me rephrase my question," Ladybug sassily quipped. "What do you plan to do with our Miraculous?"

" _ **I promise you, I only mean well."**_

I snorted. " _That_ coming from the one who tried to burn down the school? I'm not buying it."

The butterflies scattered then reformed less than three feet in front of us.

" _ **Pot meet kettle, kitty,"**_ Hawkmoth mocked in a sing song voice, her form of butterflies dispersed and reformed right next to me. Her form leaned down to whisper into my ear. _**"I can sense your feelings. We're more alike than you think."**_

I shuddered at the thought of being compared to a villain. I may be selfish, but I'm using my powers for good! I don't go around making anyone else do my dirty work! I'm not like her!

" _ **Try as you might to be a hero, you're nothing more than a selfish lonely little girl still crying for the loss of her-"**_

"ENOUGH!"

When I tried to bat her away, she scattered and reformed behind us. I glared at her form, daring her to finish that sentence. While she's not wrong, it's not her place to dig out my issues! I don't want anyone's pity! Pity wouldn't bring them back!

" _ **You know, I can give you the life you want."**_

I nearly dropped my guard. No. I shouldn't let her talk me into anything. She's a liar! She can't bring back the dead! She can't…

" _ **All you need to do is to give me your-"**_

Before she can finish her sentence, Ladybug's yoyo shot from behind me and decapitated her. The brief silence allowed me enough time to calm down and not fall for Hawkmoth's bait.

"Our answer hasn't changed Hawkmoth," Ladybug spoke up with a firm commanding voice. "We're not giving them up."

The creepy little akumas crawled back up to fix her head and made a grinning face that wouldn't look out of place in a horror movie.

" _ **Too bad. We had great teamwork."**_

Hawkmoth's mocking laughter echoed everywhere. Ladybug and I took defensive positions. She didn't go after either of us as expected. It was all a ruse to get past us towards her real target. Ladybug only managed to pull Fiona way, but it was too late for Keagan. He's now trapped in a vortex of akuma.

" _ **You made for a wonderful distraction, kitty."**_

It became clear what Hawkmoth's planning to do, why her akumas were purple instead of white like yesterday. She planned to transform someone into a villain from the start. And not just anyone would do, she wanted to pick someone who would make a huge statement, someone who can cause so much unrest in the public just for transforming, someone everyone already sees as a threat.

Keagan Gerald Aurelio-Ashworth is the perfect choice.

He's the mayor's son, the 'Prince of Helios', a person with a lot of influence in the city. Keagan may be putting on a brave face by carrying on like normal but of all the people in the city, no one's more distraught at the prospect of turning into a supervillain than him. Trapping him in a flurry of corrupted butterflies he couldn't hope to escape is an effective way to build up his negative emotions.

"We have to get him out of there!" I tried to break into the whirlwind of akuma, but the butterflies made for a surprisingly impenetrable defence. Magic is my only explanation for this.

It still could've been worse. Keagan could've been somewhere else, like halfway across the city where neither of us could even be there to even try to stop him from transforming or protect civilians from his first wave of attacks. Lucky Ladybug brought him along.

Everyone finally caught on to what's going on and tried to vacate the area before Keagan could transform; all except for Fiona, who's currently struggling against Ladybug's hold. No one else wants to have a front row seat for Scorch's rampage. Her loyalty to her maybe-more-than-a-friend is something to wonder at.

" _ **Children like you shouldn't be given so much power."**_

"Neither should psychopaths like you, yet here we are," I scanned the evil butterfly tornado for any weak points, but I couldn't find any.

" _ **Give me your Miraculous or I'll make Scorch burn everyone into ashes!"**_

At that threat, Ladybug finally snapped. Ladybug pushed Fiona towards me, quietly indicating to not let Fiona run towards the akumas (damn, she's stronger than she looks), and strode towards the whirlwind of pure evil.

"Hawkmoth! You can threaten this city all you want, but know that we'll always be there to stop you! Any supervillain you create, we will save them!" Ladybug pointed up at the swirling mass of akumas while his other hand was spinning his yoyo faster and faster. "It doesn't matter how long it will take. We WILL find you! And when that day comes, YOU'LL be the one giving US your Miraculous!"

He threw his yoyo at the city founder's statue's highest point, and shot himself upwards. Once he was above the tornado, he let himself get sucked in, right where Keagan is.

For a few tense moments, nothing happened. Even Fiona stopped struggling against me and looked on with anticipation. Then lights flashed within the vortex, swiping at all directions until all the akumas disappeared. There stood Ladybug and Keagan.

Nobody dared make a sound. Ladybug walked up towards the base of the city founder's statue. He spread his arms out and loudly declared, "Citizens of Helios! There is nothing to fear! I, Ladybug and my partner, Chat Noire are here and we will do everything in our power to keep you safe!"

He raised his hand that was holding his yoyo and a swarm of white butterflies rushed out and flew away into the starry night sky.

The crowd cheered our names. I can feel their relief and excitement all around me. Ladybug's unwavering faith in us being the city's newest protectors made his promise feel more like a fact. I remembered a quote from my favorite Batman movie: _"_ _Sometimes the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded."_

No wonder the crowds were chanting Ladybug's name more than mine. I felt envy bubbling inside me, but there's also some relief in seeing him standing tall and proud like there's nothing in the world that can bring him down. It's like I had a glimpse at his full potential. For once, I don't think my partnership with Ladybug's completely doomed.

I dropped my grip on Fiona and tilted my head towards Keagan's general direction. "You might wanna check on Princey over there."

Fiona just gave me a nod before running towards Keagan… and punched him in the arm. Apparently, Keagan pushed her away just when the akumas were forming a tornado around him and now she's mad because he dared to protect her. This lead to them bickering like an old married couple with Ladybug playing peacemaker between them.

I snuck behind Ladybug and tapped him on the shoulder. He nearly jumped. I smirked at him. Even after such an impressive display, he's still a dork.

"That was quite flashy of you, Bugsy.~ Didn't think you had it in you," I teased as I expertly twirled my baton around my fingers.

He was positively beaming.

"I learned from the best."

I could get used to working with him.

From the side just behind Ladybug, I can see Keagan grinning at us. I would later label that particular grin as his 'shipping grin'.

0-0-0-0-0

Time flew as the questions passed by one after the other. After a while, Ladybug took a step back and indirectly elected me to be our team's spokesperson. To be fair, I doubt Ladybug had much experience with being surrounded by flashing cameras scrutinizing him down to the smallest zit. Being a model is finally paying off!

"What do you call those creepy purple butterflies? There's something magical about them," asked a well-dressed young woman.

"They're called akuma," I said.

" _Akuma_?!" Ladybug asked with wide eyes staring at me, looking scandalized. It's as if I said something I wasn't supposed to say in public. Judging from the way he pronounced 'akuma', maybe I did in a different language.

"Yes. That's what I was told. Is there anything wrong with that?" I asked, careful not to mention Plagg's name in front of the reporters.

Ladybug folded his arms, looking uncomfortable. "Well, it's just that I think it's a little scary to refer to those butterflies as 'demons'..."

I placed a closed fist over my chin in a thinking pose. "It does make sense. Those 'akuma' target people with negative emotions and bring up people's 'inner demons'. It's a fitting name, don't you think?"

"Here's a better question for ye: Why did Chat Noire do nothin' ta get rid of 'em 'akuma'?" asked a particularly rude grouchy old man.

"Because Ladybug's the only one who can purify them," I said with a smirk that I'm not really feeling right now.

"Then what's yer purpose? You his sidekick or somethin'?"

It bothers me more than I'd like to admit that Ladybug's powers are more useful than mine. Even now, I question my purpose in being chosen. My powers have nothing to do with recovering the Butterfly Miraculous or saving its victims.

"No," Ladybug cuts in, placing himself between me and the rude reporter. "She's my _partner_ and I wouldn't have made it this far without her."

I'm… I'm actually a little touched. I can feel my heart swell a bit at his words. But I still prefer to handle this on my own. I lightly pushed Ladybug aside to get back to the rude reporter. I smirked and said, "That's right. I kick butt while he fixes stuff."

Their questions after that were easier. They ranged from serious topics like 'how do we plan on capturing Hawkmoth?' to less serious topics like 'why did you choose _Ladybug_ and _Chat Noire_ to be your hero names?' with the occasional weird questions like 'were you guys bitten by a radioactive ladybug/cat?'. Hah. This whole thing is bringing out the superhero fan in everyone.

It's a relief nobody asked me about what Hawkmoth was saying to try to get me to her side. It seems like no one besides Ladybug heard her. As loud as he is, I'm glad he has enough tact not to ask me about it right now.

" _You know, I can give you the life you want."_

The Butterfly Miraculous' power to persuade shouldn't be underestimated. I knew she was just trying to distract us and didn't seriously expect me to join her side, but I still felt a small tug within me that wanted to take her up on that offer. Ladybug being there helped me concentrate on the present, but Hawkmoth's words still left me longing for the past. I'd give anything to have them back. But as much as I miss my parents, nothing can bring them back to life. If there was a way, the cost is probably something I can't agree to. I've seen Fullmetal Alchemist enough times to know that it never ends well.

"What's your motivation to be a hero? I mean, if you don't mind me asking," asked a nervous young woman.

I couldn't stop the smile that made its way to my face.

"I've always wanted to be a hero. Ever since I was a little girl… I've always looked up to _them_."

I stopped before anyone could notice how my voice is starting to tremble, letting my words linger in the air for a bit.

" _Try as you might to be a hero, you're nothing more than a selfish lonely little girl still crying for the loss of her-"_

Parents. That's what Hawkmoth was going to say. I looked straight at the camera as if somehow, Hawkmoth can hear me right now.

"So here I am."

My parents may be gone, but I'm still here. I'll continue the work they left behind. I'll become a hero they can be proud of.

"And what about you, Ladybug? What motivates you?"

Ladybug jumped at the sudden attention.

"Uhm… My reason-I just, uh…"

He fidgeted for a bit as he looked around the crowd. He must've found his answer when he calmed down and said this with complete certainty:

"I just want everyone to be safe, that's all."

0-0-0-0-0

Soon enough, it was time to go. Ladybug was giving Keagan another pep talk, and people were taking pictures. It's a good show, this way people will be less jumpy around Keagan with Ladybug being chummy with him. But to Ladybug, it's more than that. He genuinely wanted Keagan to be okay.

"You did a great job holding out for as long as you did."

"W-what?" Keagan's face grew flustered as Ladybug approached. "Oh, I didn't really do much… I just…"

"Even before Hawkmoth's swarm surrounded you, she had plenty of chances to transform you again but you didn't. You're a strong person, don't you ever forget that."

Keagan shook his head, his gaze glued to the floor. "I have you to thank for that. If you hadn't believed in me… Told me I wasn't a monster that night… I might've…"

"Kaji, listen to the dude in tight red spandex," Fiona pipes up and walks directly in front of Keagan, who was conveniently already looking down so she can look at him eye to eye. "In your own way, you fought off Hawkmoth and you succeeded in keeping her out this time. You should be proud of yourself."

Keagan regained his princely composure. He affectionately ruffled Fiona's hair, and she huffed in return.

"Okay Fuyu, you have a point," he told her, before looking up to face Ladybug. "I'm still thankful. You saved me."

Ladybug face brightened up. I could've sworn Keagan looked just about ready to melt then and there. Can't blame him, even I would feel some warm and fuzzy feelings if anyone would smile at me like that.

"You're welcome."

Ladybug is a bleeding heart. He sympathizes with other people's plights easily, unlike me.

I used to see that kind of trait as a weakness. It turns people into suckers who'd trust complete strangers only to get conned. It makes people fight for a cause they couldn't see through to the end. It made my parents leave my brother and I to fend for ourselves while they're out getting themselves killed by monsters to save a city full of people who never even thanked them.

I never believed that sympathy could stop a rampaging monster… But that's exactly what happened earlier.

Ladybug gave Keagan a reason to resist. He gave people an ideal to strive towards. He gave them hope that they can fight Hawkmoth's control. He gave the people of this city a reason to put their faith in us.

All things I failed to do.

I can't completely change myself overnight. I can't just wake up one day and realize what my parents stood for that was worth their lives and embrace it with open arms. I don't think I could ever become a genuine all-loving hero like Ladybug, but I should still try to be more sympathetic to others.

With the kind of enemy we have, it's the best weapon we've got.

0-0-0-0-0

It took some effort in getting the Liungs to stop fussing over me for coming home late. I managed to shake them off by showing them a receipt from a diner I passed by for a quick dinner. It always pays to be prepared with evidence around them. It was easy to excuse myself by telling them I decided to eat out but stayed in for longer than I expected because Hawkmoth made an appearance. Blake was a little harder to convince, but I managed.

I marched straight up to my room. Plagg quickly devoured the slices of camembert I pulled out of my purse and flew straight to my garbage bin making scraps of paper fly out from whatever it is he's doing in there. In a lot of ways, Plagg is like a normal cat. If only his diet consisted of kibbles instead of camembert…

But there are more important matters.

"Plagg, is it possible for Miraculous holders to get akumatized?"

I've been wondering that since Hawkmoth tried to persuade me to her side just earlier. Sure, it was all just a ruse to get past our guard and get to Keagan, but the fact is, for a fleeting moment, I almost fell for it. Considering how much of a wreck Ladybug was yesterday, and how I almost fell for her words, it's a very concerning possibility that our kwamis should warn us about.

Plagg poked his head out of the garbage bin he was exploring. "Akumatized? That's not a word."

I rolled my eyes. "It is now. So, is it or is it not possible?"

Plagg let out a loud yawn. "What? I didn't hear you over my yawn. Oh, would you look at that! It's past eleven! Time for bed! G'night!"

And the little god of destruction flew to my laundry pile and snored so loudly he had to be faking it. I went over and poked him, trying to get him awake, but he didn't even twitch. I groaned in frustration.

"A 'yes' or a 'no' would've sufficed, stupid cat."

With how evasive he was, it would be best if I take that as a 'yes'. It's possible it didn't work because I was transformed and didn't have anything on me that could be possessed- my suit was 100% magic, and my ring already had an (obnoxious) occupant. But what if I wasn't transformed? Am I as vulnerable as everyone else? What if I get akumatized? Or worse, what if Ladybug gets akumatized?

Looks like the simple answer to all this is to stay on guard from now on.

0-0-0-0-0

Days passed by in a blur. As expected, more akumas that cropped up but none of the victims were accused of being monsters and got proper help beyond Ladybug's miraculous cure. The mayor saw to it that former akumas have free access to services such as parameds and counselors. With his son as the first akuma, it's not surprising he's become a very vocal supporter of akuma victims. With the growing number of people getting akumatized or having loved ones turning into akumas and his continued support, I can see him winning the next election over this. It made for great press, and he garnered a lot of sympathy. More importantly, it helped eased people from thinking of akuma victims as monsters.

0-0-0-0-0

Keeping secrets from Blake got progressively harder when he started to notice some changes in me brought on by my super-secret hero work. Like the fact that I started wearing a silver ring when I've always been more of a _necklace_ kind of girl.

"Where did you get that ring?" Blake asked, pointing his fork at the silver ring on my right ring finger. We were having lunch at the mall after our photo shoot got cancelled because an akuma named Charmer went after Blake.

I did my usual tactic when dealing with curious twins: feign ignorance and sneakily divert the topic.

"Why? Like it?" I said while directing my ring's shine to his eyes.

Blake squinted with a scowl before shielding his eyes. "I like it. It's just not your style."

"And what exactly is my style?"

"Flamboyant."

"Haha. Very funny."

Blake grabbed my ringed hand and examined my Miraculous, "Seriously, that ring's so plain. Not a single decoration. It doesn't go with your aesthetic," then looked over me meaningfully, "At. All."

I pulled back my hand and shot him a meaningful look in return. "I don't want to hear that from a guy who wears a red-orange band shirt with a pair of purple pants."

Blake rolled his eyes while raising his hands in mock surrender. "Chill, sis. I'm just curious about it. Sheesh. No need to pick on my choices in clothing – even though I'm rocking the look."

This is just the beginning. There will be more changes to come that I'd be hard pressed to hide like the stench of camembert, my absences, and the muscles I'll inevitably gain. I am so not looking forward to explaining away all that. On the bright side, I'll finally be able to beat Blake at arm wrestling.

"Blair Crawford?"

There we were, hot model twins minding our own business eating spaghetti when trouble appeared in the form of an awkward fanboy hoping for a date. We gave him identical unimpressed glares. Mister tall blond and scraggly flinched. He should know by now that he doesn't stand a chance.

"What? Can't you see we're busy?" I snappily said.

In a matter of days, I've learned that my heroic debut resolution, which is trying to be more sympathetic to others, is easier said than done. It's hard to be sympathetic when I'm already in a mood around fans thanks to Charmer this morning.

"I, uh, I've always admired you. For so long, I love the way your eyes gleam…"

And there he goes with his laundry list of shallow compliments. It's like I'm not aware I'm gorgeous. I better cut him off before he gets any more dumb ideas.

"Listen, dude, I appreciate your admiration but I'm not looking for a date. Sorry."

"Oh. Well, how about we start out as frien-"

"I'm not interested in general, so _please_ , do us all a favor and move on with your life. I'm sure there are plenty of girls out there that you can awkwardly hit on. Now, shoo!"

I turned away from the sniveling wuss only to see my brother looking constipated.

"What? Are those meatballs turning over in your stomach?"

"He's gonna turn into an akuma."

"Great."

Blake crossed his arms. "You should've been gentler with him. You didn't have to be so harsh with rejecting him."

"And give him false hope that one day, after years of friendship, I could fall for him? No way. Might as well make it quick so he can be free to look for love elsewhere ASAP."

"He could get akumatized any minute now because of how you rejected him."

"He could still get akumatized later if I string him along. It's a lose-lose situation bro, I'm just picking the quick and clean way."

I looked around us for a possible place to hide. Better think about my options before the akuma gets here…

"Hello, my darling.~"

Too late.

"I am Stunner!" the akuma introduced with a flip of his glittering blond hair. He went on and on about how he's in my league now and that I should go on a date with him or else.

"Oh, whatever shall I do?" I overdramatically exclaimed, cutting him off from his villain monologue as I stood up from my chair with my hands over my heart like a distressed damsel.

Blake rolled his eyes but played along and stood up too.

"I am but a helpless damsel with nothing to defend myself with," as I said that, I walked around my table so it now stands between me and the akuma to buy me a few extra seconds once I book it.

Stunner didn't even notice.

"Please, oh dazzling man in bronze glitter! Have mercy on me!"

"I'll be merciful as long as you agree to be my girlfrie-"

I threw what's left of my lunch on his face and ran away with Blake in tow.

"Something tells me that this is how it's going to be from here on out," Blake muttered.

"Ya think?"

0-0-0-0-0

At some point in my mad sprint around the mall, I managed to lock Blake away in an elevator. I could've transformed then and there. Unfortunately, the akuma caught up so I had to keep running.

I ran past Monsieur Ladyblogger and his friends, hoping a hit in the Ladyblog would alert Ladybug to get his lady-butt over here. Keagan gave me a friendly wave, Fiona shot me a neutral stare, and Shizuke was flat out glaring at me. I don't even know what I did to get on this guy's hit list. Try as I might to smooth things over between us, he just won't lighten up or at least explain what I did to piss him off. I've given up at this point, which is a little sad. It would've been nice to have a friend that would wax poetic about how awesome my superhero alter ego is. Talk about a love-hate relationship.

It wasn't long before I heard the akuma tripped, and there stood Ladybug, lassoing him away from me. I shot him a grateful smile, which he ignored in favor of glaring at the akuma. I quickly ducked away somewhere hidden to transform.

"Wakey wakey Plagg. It's time to transform."

"What? Again?!"

"I know. Hawkmoth must be having a slow day and decided to kill time by akumatizing people. C'mon, time to go."

"I'm gonna need an extra roll of cheese after this."

Typical Plagg, always thinking about cheese at a time like this.

"Of course. Plagg, claws out!"

Plagg grumbled out more complaints before getting sucked into my ring and transforming me. I ran back towards the akuma and jumped into the fray.

My partnership with Ladybug still has its hurdles to overcome. Sure, I developed some respect for the bumbling bug after the Scorch incident, but that doesn't change the fact that we have very different views on how things should be done while sharing the same stubbornness with our ways. Even now, we're still arguing about patrol schedules.

While I'd still rather be the main hero, I get that I'm not the kind of hero this city needs most right now.

But it's not all bad. Ladybug and I worked almost seamlessly together. Our teamwork is improving day by day. We make up for each other's weaknesses. He makes me feel like I'm still needed. As different as our ideals are, we both want the same thing.

He's like the Superman to my Batman.

The fight with Stunner didn't last long. After casting his miraculous cure, Ladybug approached me. He's still a little shy and easily flustered around me. I guess the awkwardness of crying in front of a stranger you've only known for a day lasts longer than I thought.

"So, uh, pound it?" he asked, hesitantly raising his fist towards me.

I smiled and connected my own. He may not be my twin brother, the one I wanted to be my crime fighting partner all my life, but Ladybug is doing his best. He deserves a chance, just as much as I wanted to believe Chat Noire deserves this chance to be a hero.

"Pound it."

0-0-0-0-0

Hello readers! It's been a long while since I last updated... Well, I was supposed to have this chapter posted like a month ago, like I already did with my AO3 account, but stuff happened and I wasn't able to have this posted until today, so there.

This only concludes Blair's side of Origins. Shizuke does have his own version of Origins from his POV but I decided to stick to one POV per version to better streamline the emotions and stuff. Blair is angsting about her thing, while Shizuke has something else to angst about and it'll be hard to focus if they're both bombarding the narrative with their angst so I had to split them into two different versions of origins. But what do you guys think?

Shizuke's side will be posted some time this year. Fingers crossed.


	4. Scorched Origins P1 Shizuke's Doubts

0-0-0-0-0

The beginning was different for everyone...

... For him, it was the day he set aside his _doubts_ and found his _resolve_.

0-0-0-0-0

 **SCORCHED ORIGINS P1: SHIZUKE'S DOUBTS**

My name is Shizuke Midorikawa. Born on May 4th, 15 years old. Starting this day, I am attending my last year in junior high school.

"Child, shouldn't you be getting to school by now?"

… And I am running late for school.

"I still have time to get there, ma'am. I insist. Let me help you cross the street. I'll even carry your bag. Just tell me where you're going and I'll accompany you there."

I live only three blocks away from school so I walk there every morning. However, today there's this old woman dressed in a green kimono I've been trying to help out. My grandmother has raised me better than to ignore the elderly in need.

I fear for this old woman's safety. She's been tripping over nothing all morning. Maybe it's the glasses. They don't look very functional with the fake nose and bushy eyebrows. The frame is a nice style though. Thick, black and rectangular.

"Urgh. Damn it all!" she yelled as she snatched back her purse with a strength I wouldn't expect from such a frail looking old lady with a cane.

She stomped away from me with a steadiness I wouldn't have believed she possessed a few minutes ago, and disappeared around a corner. I sighed and checked the time on my watch and… I'm early for second period. There goes my perfect attendance record.

I better make a run for it before I'm permanently listed as absent.

I dashed across the block. Just as I was about to make the last turn, I saw my grandmother coming out of a diner.

"Shizuke! Stop! Don't go to school!"

"What?!" I screeched as I glided to a stop.

"The school is being attacked by a monster! We should go back home where it's safe!"

"Wha- Grandma, have you been watching too much anime?"

Grandmother reached up and pinched my ear.

"Ow!"

"Respect your elders, young man! See for yourself! I'm not making this up," she pointed towards the TV in the diner behind her.

I could see what looks like a human shaped fire monster rampaging on the school ground, taken from an aerial view as a reporter frantically informs the public to stay away from Xyril Tech. That explains all the helicopters hovering nearby.

The news has dubbed him Scorch.

From where I stand, I can see a few stray shots of fire blazing up from the direction of my school.

I felt a tug on my sleeve and looked down to find my grandmother dragging me back to our apartment.

0-0-0-0-0

"What's this doing here?" I asked myself when I saw an intricate black box on my desk.

I turned it over on all sides, looking for a sign to tell me who it belongs to. No sign. Running out of clues, I opened the box. I saw a pair of red, polka dotted earrings before a bright ball of light blinded me. I threw the box away from me and covered my eyes.

When I uncovered my eyes, I jumped as far away from where I dropped the black box as possible.

"Hello! It's nice to finally meet you, Shizuke Midorikawa," squeaked a high pitched voice.

Floating right above the black box was this strange creature. It was tiny, it was red, and it was spotted. It has big blue eyes, and a pair of antennae. It vaguely reminded me of a ladybug.

I didn't dare to move a muscle.

"Everything's okay. Don't be scared," that _thing_ reassured.

I was trembling in fear, and I felt glued to where I stand. I was too scared to _yell_. The thing floated closer to me, waving its arms in an attempt to calm me down.

"Listen Shizuke, I know everything may seem a bit strange to you, but first, let me explain-"

I jumped away from it and grabbed a pair of scissors from my desk and held it between me and the strange creature like a knife.

"S-stay back!" I finally managed to say.

That thing finally floated away from me.

"Okay, I'll keep my distance if it makes you feel safer."

I did not put down the scissors. I won't feel safe as long as that _thing_ is still in my room. But the distance did calm me down enough for my head to start working again and let my curiosity take over for a bit. Since that thing was offering to explain things to me, I think it's safe to assume that it'll be willing to answer a few of my questions.

"… What are you and how do you know my name?!"

The thing beamed a friendly smile at me.

"I'm a kwami, and my name is Tikki. Now just-"

The thing, Tikki, was interrupted by loud knocks on my door.

"Shizuke! I'm going out to get us some lunch!" my grandmother shouted from behind the door.

When I made a move to run after my grandmother just outside my room, Tikki zoomed past me and blocked the door.

"No no no no! Shh! No! You can't tell anyone about me! I'm your friend Shizuke, you must trust me! You're the only one who can stop _Scorch_ ," she whispered.

Against my better judgment, I went along with the Kwami's pleas and said goodbye to my grandmother.

0-0-0-0-0

Things were going way too fast, and way too weird.

First, my main weapon is a magical yoyo. Seriously? I'm expected to fight a monster made of fire with a toy? I suppose being a magic yoyo should mean it's made of something stronger than plastic, but it doesn't make my situation sound any less ridiculous because let me repeat: _I'M SUPPOSED TO FIGHT A FIRE MONSTER WITH A TOY_.

Second, to get rid of Scorch, I have to fight him and break whatever possessed item he has and purify the butterfly that comes out. Sure. That sounds doable. Except, Scorch is made of fire from head to toe and it doesn't look like he has anything on him. Not even clothes. Does that count as streaking? I mean it's not like he's revealing any actual skin, but still.

Third, I have to put on a pair of magical earrings for this arrangement to work. No! THERE IS NO WAY I AM EVER PIEARCING MY EARS! I know I'll regret it for life after all this is over! Yes, that's the main reason. It has nothing to do with Gavril telling me that it's painful. Not at all.

"On second thought, maybe I'm not up to this hero business. I have school, student council duties, Judo, the flower shop… Hey! Maybe you should get Fuyu to be the new hero! She's strong! She's the most heroic person I know! And most importantly, she has the piercings for it! Four of them in fact!"

"Shizuke, you're the chosen one," she insisted, trying her best to sound strict with her squeaky little voice. "It has to be _you_."

And fourth, why would anyone pick someone like me to be a superhero? They could've gotten someone strong and willing to stand up for others… Why me? I'm nothing special. Powers like these should go to someone extraordinary, someone who will make the best use of it.

"I can't-" I was about to decline once more when I saw a flash of pink.

It was then that I glanced at my computer screen. Fuyu's distinctive pink hair caught my attention in the crowd of people at school. But she's not running away with all the other students. She's running _towards_ the monster.

That settles it.

I looked back to Tikki, purpose overpowering all the doubts and reservations that I had. With an unwavering gaze, I said, "All I have to do is say 'Spots on', right?"

0-0-0-0-0

Swinging to school was an experience I won't soon forget. Throwing the magic yoyo as far as I can, and tugged on it to make sure it doesn't come loose. I took a leap off my balcony and entrusted my life to the words of a magic bug god… And it worked. I flung myself high into the air. Before I lost momentum, I threw the magic yoyo again. I repeated the process until I reached the school. What would usually take me fifteen minutes on foot, I covered in less than one. Why couldn't it last longer?

I swung myself up to the school's highest perch, the clock tower. The school premises were mostly vacated, much to my relief. The fire monster was hard to miss, if not for his loud beastly roars, it's for the trail of destruction he leaves in his wake. As scared as I am, I have to do this.

For some reason, the fire monster is making his way towards the clock tower. If the point of releasing a monster was to draw out the wielders of the Ladybug and the Black Cat Miraculous, wouldn't it be more logical to send the monster out into the city to terrorize more people? What could it possibly gain by coming to a place so deserted…

"Stop!"

My heart lurched when I heard a familiar voice. Down below the clock tower, standing right in front of Scorch was Fuyu. What is she trying to do?!

"This isn't-"

Scorch wasn't interested in what she had to say. He held out an open palm where a ball of fire burst to life. Once it was as big as a basketball, Scorch let out a beastly roar as the fireball shot off like a comet towards Fuyu.

Time slowed down as all my thoughts came to a screeching halt. My body moved on its own and swung down at breakneck speed. My pulse was ringing in my ears. For that second, all I can see was Fuyu and the fireball flying towards her. Once I felt the ground under my feet, I leaped to where Fuyu was standing. I held her in my arms, my back clad in magic indestructible spandex taking the brunt of the monster's attack. Once again, I entrusted my life to the words of a magic bug god. The flames brushed over my suit harmlessly, like it's nothing more than a warm breeze.

However, the relief I felt from surviving the attack was short lived.

Fuyu- strong, brash, fearless Fuyu- was trembling in my arms. Her breathing was quick and shallow. Her body was rigid, feet rooted on the ground.

I pulled her back and what I saw almost made my heart stop.

Skin so pale, she may as well be made of brittle porcelain. Eyes so wide, it made her pupils look so small. She wasn't even looking at me. She was staring back at the monster behind me. She looked like she's on the brink of tears.

That's when it hit me. My best friend Fuyu… She almost died. Had I been a second too late, she would've…

Unable to bear it any longer, I turned away from her. I glared at the cause of this. I clenched my fists as I spun my yoyo, ready to strike.

"SCORCH! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

0-0-0-0-0

"OH NO! NOT ANOTHER VILLAIN!"

The girl came out of nowhere. She boisterously jumped right into battle and landed a solid hit on Scorch for her grand entrance. That is the most reckless thing I've ever seen! If there wasn't a monster on the loose right now, I would've pulled her down for a nice long scolding for nearly getting herself killed! Right after telling her off for picking the path of villainy! With a fire monster already on the loose, who wouldn't be suspicious of a mysterious black clad figure whose description matches too many adjectives under 'femme fatale'?

The girl confidently strutted towards me with the cockiest smirk I've ever seen.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" I demanded.

I'm on my guard in case she attacks, my yoyo already swinging and ready to be a makeshift shield…

And then she flips her wild fiery red hair. Like she's in a shampoo commercial. No, really. I can practically see sparkles shining off that long wild fiery red mane. How can this potential-villainess be so ridiculously photogenic?

I stumbled at the randomness of her action, and my yoyo hit me in the head the second I stopped spinning it. The cat girl was nice enough not to laugh at me.

"I'm your amazing crime fighting partner, Chat Noire!" the girl in the black catsuit introduced.

Upon closer look, she doesn't seem as crazed as the fire monster so that's a relief. On the hand she used to flip her hair, I saw a black ring with a glowing green paw print. Now that I think about it, Tikki did mention something about getting back-up from a 'black cat'. She seems legit judging from her ring, even if she seems a bit too cocky about our new responsibility. Maybe she did know what she was doing when she jumped at Scorch. If she's another Miraculous holder, her suit should protect her.

Now the only problem is how to pronounce her name. Cat Noir, was it?

"And you are?" she asked, snapping me back to reality; the reality that my partner from this day forward is a ridiculously pretty _girl_ -dressed in a skin tight leather catsuit that did nothing to hide her curves- and we have to talk regularly.

"I'm uh…"

What should I tell her? Maybe I should follow her example and base it on my aesthetics. What do I have to work with? I've got a red suit with polka dots, I'm supposed to have the power of creation and symbolize good luck, and there's Tikki who's like a… L-Ladybug?"

It was too late when I realized I just blurted that out loud.

"Okay Ladybug," she said before I can change my name.

Why didn't think of following Chat Noire's cue and use the Japanese word for 'ladybug'?! 'Tentochou' sounded like it would've been a great name for a Japanese ladybug hero.

The cat girl eyed my suit and nodded with a smile of approval.

For some reason, I can't find it in myself to complain about my new hero name. It's not the manliest, most intimidating name ever, but it'll have to do. It's better than blurting out my actual name at any rate.

"Got a plan to handle hot stuff over there?" she asked, looking at the fire monster from the corner of her feral emerald eyes. I can feel the excitement radiating off of her. And somehow, it's infecting me.

And then she used Cataclysm to destroy most of the schoolyard, along with any improvements from her 'possible-villainess' first impression.

0-0-0-0-0

"Lucky Charm!"

'Lucky Charm', as Tikki described it, is the power to conjure whatever object I will need to secure my victory. I have no control over what I get, but it's guaranteed that I will end up using it in some way at some point.

"Oh great! A fire extinguisher! Just what we need!" Chat Noire cheered. "We can use that to put a stop to his fire-"

I didn't care about that at the time. As soon as I felt a weight on my hand, I threw it at Scorch's head. With a loud satisfying clang, the monster fell face-first into the ground.

"What," Chat Noire deadpanned.

We defeated Scorch.

He was sprawled unconscious in the middle of the crater Chat Noire created. Without his fires blazing all over him, he appears to be made of obsidian or maybe coal. There aren't any distinguishing parts. No clothes, no hair, no skin… Yet his shape and size made one thing unmistakeable: Whoever Scorch is, he's likely to be a boy around my age.

That was the first sign that something was very wrong with this whole situation- that there's more to it than a pair of heroes rising to take down a fire monster that came out of nowhere.

Scorch could've been just like me, a boy like any other, swept right in the middle of a storm full of superheroes and supervillains…

But scanning the crowd, seeing that fearful look on Fuyu's face, I stomped down on what little sympathy I could feel for that _monster._ I almost forgot the reason I was fighting to begin with. I refuse to feel anything but anger towards the thing that almost killed one of my closest friends.

"What are you doing?" Chat Noire asked, arms on her hips with a skeptical brow raised. "Aren't you supposed to purify the akuma or whatever and fix this?" she gestured her clawed hands at our surroundings where there's an unconscious Scorch, a gaping crater, and the school premises burnt, reminding me that it's not over yet. I still have one more job to do.

I quietly pried out the piece of paper I found crumpled in Scorch's fist. It's the only thing that could be his possessed item.

"I don't know how," I answered absently, trying to stay calm despite all the anger boiling inside of me. I picked up my Lucky Charm. "I'll go ask Tikki."

I swung away right after I excused myself.

While I really did need to consult Tikki on what to do from this point onwards, that's not the only reason why I was in such a hurry to leave.

The truth is, I couldn't stand to be anywhere near Scorch. After everything he did, I've never felt so much anger towards a single person before.

If I stay anywhere near him for a second longer, I might do something I may regret.

0-0-0-0-0

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

I yelled as I summoned the power of the miraculous cure.

True to its theme, my lucky charm disintegrated into a swarm of ladybugs that flew over everywhere and fixed everything wherever they went. From the roof top where I was perched, I could see the crater Chat Noire made fill back up as if it was never there. The whole school was as good as new.

Too bad I couldn't say the same thing for everyone.

" _It's not his fault. He wasn't in the right state of mind…"_

" _If he's not to blame, then what about all the people he traumatized in his rampage?!_ He almost killed Fuyu! _He has pay for his crimes! Even though I fixed everything, that doesn't mean everyone is completely fine with almost getting burned alive with the entire school! Where's the justice in that?!"_

Everyone is still afraid. The crowd cautiously went around the person who was Scorch. No one dared to take a step closer towards the former villain… or, according to Tikki, 'the _victim_ of the Butterfly Miraculous'.

" _Someone is abusing the power of one of the Miraculous."_

" _Do the other Miraculous come with kwami like you?"_

" _Yes, they do. Chat Noire for example, has the Black Cat Miraculous and a kwami named Plagg. The Butterfly Miraculous has Nooroo. We kwami may each have our own individual consciousness, but ultimately, we are bound to our respective Miraculous and whoever wields them. We loan our power to those who bears our Miraculous, we serve as guides to help our wielder grow to their full potential… We cannot deny them of our powers."_

" _So you're saying that Nooroo isn't willingly helping their current wielder? That they didn't have a choice?"_

" _The best any kwami can do in Nooroo's situation is to wait for someone to save them and take their Miraculous out of the wrong hands."_

I looked away and swung back towards my room. I didn't want to see… I didn't want to look back.

" _And what is the power of the Butterfly Miraculous?"_

" _The Butterfly Miraculous has the power to bestow powers onto their chosen champions. The powers of the champions are based on the individual and their objective. They have the power to encourage certain feelings people already have, such as hope, love, and faith… even negative ones such as grief, anger, and despair... Those feelings fuel the person's transformation and with a deal, the Butterfly turns them into champions."_

" _Doesn't that mean that for the Butterfly Miraculous to transform a champion, they have to give their consent?"_

"… _Yes."_

If Scorch had better control of his feelings, none of this would've happened. If he didn't want this to happen at all, he wouldn't have agreed to the butterfly's deal. The transformation doesn't change who they are, the Butterfly Miraculous merely empower them to do what they ultimately want. It's not an excuse for what they've done!

" _However, that can be forced. And they aren't quite themselves when they get turned into corrupted champions. They retain a will of their own, but their actions can be influenced by the Butterfly. That is why you and Chat Noire are here. You are the heroes who will save them…"_

I can't forgive the monster who almost killed one of my best friends.

0-0-0-0-0

After settling back in my house for a little while to eat lunch and taking a jar of cookies from the dining table (was that always there?), I locked myself in my room to let the events sink in.

Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine myself, plain unpopular Shizuke, to be a superhero. I still can't believe it. If something like this were to happen to anyone, I was expecting it to happen to someone like Kaji, or Fuyu…

Fuyu… If I was a second later, she would've been burned alive. It still unnerved me remembering how close it was. But she's safe now. She's alive. She's-

Then my phone rang.

It's an incoming call from Fuyu.

"Hel-"

" _{WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!}"_

I scrambled from the sudden volume and clumsily juggled my phone to keep it from falling. I couldn't afford a new one if this one breaks. I don't have to hold it up to my ear to hear the rest of her rant. The key sentences were 'I've been trying to contact you all day!' and 'Why didn't you call back sooner?!'.

Finally getting a hold of my phone, correcting its position at the last second when I noticed I was holding it upside down, I replied, "I'm sorry Fuyu, I was helping this old lady and-"

She cut me off.

" _{I don't care_ why _you were absent. I'm asking_ where _the hell were you?!}"_

To my surprise, she doesn't sound like a person who almost got burned alive just this morning. There's not a trace of fear in her voice. The look of fear in her face was still lingering in the back of my mind, but hearing her voice right now almost made me believe it was just a figment of my imagination.

One look at Tikki assured me that as crazy as it seemed, it was all real, and that I can't tell a soul about what I really did this morning.

"I-I was uh… I was at h-home. I didn't m-make it to s-school," I stumbled with my excuse.

" _{Don't lie to me. You're a terrible liar.}"_

"IT'S THE TRUTH! I WAS HELPING A CLUMSY OLD LADY ALL MORNING AND MISSED FIRST PERIOD WHEN GRANDMA DRAGGED ME HOME BECAUSE SHE SAW SCORCH ON THE NEWS!"

There was a brief pause before I heard a sigh of relief from her end, and a muttered 'Oh thank God for old ladies'.

"About Scorch… Did something happen? I saw you on the news…" I subtly prompted.

Maybe she's just putting on a really good front to cover what she really felt about her near death experience. I wouldn't put it past her to keep it bottled up and continue her tough-as-nails façade around everyone even if she's traumatized about it. It could help to talk about it, and if there's anyone she'd ever open up to, it's likely either me or Kaji.

" _{I'm fine,}"_ came her predictable answer, too quick to sound true.

"You don't sound fine to me. Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Her voice came out unusually shaky. _"{… It's… It's about Kaji.}"_

All my thoughts about Fuyu's potential trauma went to a screeching halt. How could I forget about my other best friend?! I didn't see him during the attack, but that doesn't automatically mean he's safe!

"W-why? What happened to him? Is he hurt?" I asked, afraid to hear the answer. Logically, my Miraculous Ladybug should've fixed him up, but that's just in the physical sense. What if he got burned way before I saw Fuyu running towards the monster and was dying before I casted Miraculous Ladybug? I shudder at the thought.

" _{Worse. He was_ Scorch _,}"_ she venomously spat the name.

I nearly dropped my phone a second time. I was shocked into silence. I couldn't find my voice. Too many thoughts were running through my head and I can't form a single sentence.

Fuyu went on to explain her side of the story. The longer she talked, the more her strong façade crumbled. She told me about how she saw Kaji upset, how a butterfly flew towards him, how he sounded like he was in denial when he made the deal with someone named ' _Hawkmoth_ ', and how the city is currently treating him. It was horrible. His own father was creating a fireproof prison for him!

This all felt so surreal, like I'm watching a movie where there's a protagonist that looks exactly like me and the rest of the cast are made up of people I knew. I am in the audience, watching as the boy on the phone realize what a huge mistake he's made and regretting it the more his friend over the phone talk about how messed up his other friend's life became.

No. No. No. No. No… It couldn't have been me. It couldn't have been Fuyu on the phone.

Scorch couldn't have been Kaji.

" _{Everyone believes he's a_ monster _! W-what should we do?}"_

"I… I'm sorry Fuyu, do you mind giving me some time to take this all in? Thank you," I hung up before she could argue.

The room suddenly felt like it was caving in on me. The air felt thicker and heavier than normal. It was hard to breathe. So many things felt like they were rushing at me at the same time, my head was running through what felt like a million thoughts a minute. It was like I was drowning…

"Is it possible to force someone into becoming a corrupted champion?"

I was almost begging Tikki to tell me it isn't possible.

"Shizuke…" Tikki flew by, trying to console me.

None of her kind words reached me. I remembered what she was telling me earlier. The horrors of it just didn't sink in until now.

"Tikki, spots on."

I transformed and swung away into the night sky. At the moment, I wanted nothing more than to escape.

Nothing felt real anymore- no, it's more like I don't want it to be real.

Seeing the city from up in the air as I zipped by from one place to another on a thin yet sturdy string… I thought that it would've been enough to keep my mind off of Scorch. Sadly, everywhere I went, Scorch was everywhere. News about Scorch was buzzing in the air. Everyone is talking about him like he's a new supervillian- a monster. I feel like I was suffocating even more up here than I was in my room.

The school stood proudly, as immaculate as ever… Looking at it now, I couldn't believe it nearly burned to the ground just this morning.

Sure, I cleaned up all the evidence of his attack but I didn't wipe out people's memories about it. As easy as it is to pretend it didn't happen with the surroundings looking normal, that doesn't change the fact that it happened.

The people remembered. The people are still afraid. The people will want justice.

The news of what people want to do to Scorch felt like a weight chained around my legs, getting heavier with every word I hear. At best, they want him imprisoned somewhere far away from the city. At worst, they want him dead so he can no longer be a threat.

The fact that I was one of those people who wanted to bring him to 'justice' made me sick…

I couldn't stand being near the school anymore so I swung further away, looking for the one thing that could possibly prove that Kaji wasn't Scorch.

It couldn't have been him. Kind, gentle, generous Kaji is the least violent person I know. Sure, he's a bit spoiled, but he'd never lash out when he doesn't get his way. He'd sooner harm himself than harm others! He's self-destructive to a fault! Most of all, Kaji would never want any harm to come to Fuyu… I couldn't believe it was him… Not without proof…

I swung towards that same rooftop I stood on when I first casted Miraculous Ladybug. Kneeling down on the roof, I found the last piece of the puzzle. Scorch's possessed item. It was a picture of Octavia Eleanor Aurelio-Ashworth, and a certain troublesome guy I know Kaji would never approve of to be her boyfriend.

Pieces of the puzzle rapidly fell into place and everything is starting to make sense. I can see how it all happened, too vividly for my comfort. I felt bile rising up my throat, barely managing to keep it down.

It all started when Kaji was blackmailed, then someone named ' _Hawkmoth'_ took advantage of that.

0-0-0-0-0

" _ **Citizens of Helios! Listen to me carefully. I am Hawkmoth!"**_

The moment Hawkmoth finally made her appearance, my blood ran cold and I rushed towards the cathedral as fast as I could.

I forced myself not to listen to her speech, or see the looks the people are giving me as I swung by. I didn't need to pay attention to know what Hawkmoth wants, or what she's saying to persuade the masses. It'll only make me feel worse. I know I'm not a worthy hero… But one particular sentence still got through me.

" _ **The people have suffered enough because of you!"**_

That felt like a huge knife stabbed through my gut. In a twisted way, she's right. Kaji is now suffering because of me. I wasn't there for him when he needed me… Not only have I turned my back on him when he needed a hero, I also blamed him for what happened.

" _ **Give me the Miraculous, the Ladybug Earrings and the Black Cat Ring, and I promise everything will go back to normal!"**_

It was a tempting offer. My eyes fell on the Miraculous on my wrists. I almost gave up right then and there… But the sound of laughter stopped me.

Chat Noire was already there. She strode towards the cathedral with an air of confidence and authority so powerful, the crowds quietly parted for her and even the cops didn't dare stop her. She was sarcastically clapping her hands, head held high, with the sassiest smirk on her lips as she talked back at Hawkmoth.

If bravery took human form, it would be her, right at this moment.

I clenched my fists tight, all thoughts of unworthiness – of giving up my Miraculous gone. I can't quit now. I have to atone for my mistake.

"That was a nice try Hawkmoth, but our actions speak for themselves louder than anything you can say. Don't reverse the roles! _You're_ the one responsible for this mess!"

Chat Noire is right. Kaji turning into a monster… Fuyu almost getting killed… This was all Hawkmoth's doing! I glared up at the woman who was the cause of all this for the very first time. For once in my life, I believed in the phrase 'hate at first sight'. I will do everything with all my power to fix things. This woman will go down!

I dropped by right next to Chat Noire. If she was surprised, she didn't show it. An arrogant fool she may be, she's an ally and I'm willing to fight by her side if it meant taking down that villainess atop the cathedral. I will stop the true villain.

Chat Noire gave me a quick smile before finishing her speech. She pointed her baton accusingly at Hawkmoth.

"If anyone's a villain around here that would be you!"

0-0-0-0-0

I've had enough of this. I don't really care what her goal is. She has to be stopped.

I swung my yoyo and pulled myself up to the roof of the cathedral. When we were finally face to face, all I saw was red. I spun my yoyo like a flail and begun my attack.

"Stop!"

Anger and adrenaline were coursing through my veins and powered my attacks. Memories of today kept flashing in my mind, each one a potent reminder of why I should stop her.

"Taking!"

 _Scorch roaring with rage… No… Kaji's screams… Fire everywhere… Walking towards that empty clock tower where he couldn't harm anyone else…_

"Advantage!"

 _Fuyu almost getting hit with a fireball… Her small shaking form… The look of fear in her eyes… Her shaky voice as she called me… Feeling angry but helpless…_

"Of!"

 _That talk with Tikki… About Nooroo… The brooch on the base of her neck glimmered in the dark, reminding me of the poor kwami she enslaved…_

"People's!"

 _This woman…This is all her fault!_

"Feelings!"

It was frustrating! None of my attacks are hitting! Every swing, that slippery villainess dodges!

A silver baton swerved at Hawkmoth and she was forced to take several steps back.

"Hey! Leave some of the action for me!" Chat Noire smirked as she caught her baton when it flew back to her.

I narrowed my eyes at Chat Noire. She's still treating this like it's just one big fun game.

"Cat! Stop joking around and keep her busy!" I growled without taking my eyes off Hawkmoth.

Chat Noire muttered something under her breath before charging at Hawkmoth. She extended her baton into a staff and started her string of attacks. While Chat Noire was much more agile than I am with her barrage of attacks, Hawkmoth still remained unharmed. The villainess danced around her, mocking her with her presence like she did with me.

Our fight stretched on, going from the cathedral rooftop to the interior of the church. It was dragging on, but Chat Noire doesn't look bothered. She looks like she's enjoying this.

I tightened my grip on my yoyo. I can only count on myself. Looks like I have no other choice.

"Lucky Charm!"

This time, I got a jar of glue.

I thought this was supposed to be easy! Before I could piece together a rough idea on how to use the adhesive, Hawkmoth zoomed past Chat Noire and started attacking me.

Unlike before when she was playfully dodging my attacks and mocking Chat Noire, SHE'S the one who's aggressive this time. Using her cane like a fencing foil, she kept thrusting it at me. I defended as best as I can while keeping the Lucky Charm away from her.

Chat Noire was quick to react and charged after her. She seamlessly weaved herself between me and Hawkmoth and parried Hawkmoth's cane. With the two of them at a standstill, I took the chance and flailed my yoyo at Hawkmoth.

Hawkmoth jumped back as Chat Noire fumbled to regain her balance from the sudden lack of pressure. I jumped right in front of her just in time to shield her from Hawkmoth's follow up attack.

This cycle kept going for what felt like hours. Attack, defend, dodge, attack again… This fight was going nowhere!

Hawkmoth is right in front of me. Just a few steps away and I could've stopped the woman who hurt everyone.

The Lucky Charm in my hand was useless.

We are risking our lives to stop an evil mastermind who turns people into monsters, and whatever powers-that-be who are in charge of what I get from Lucky Charm decided we needed a jar of glue. How in the world is a jar of glue supposed to solve all our problems?!

My Miraculous beeped, signaling how little time I have left. Every second I waste trying to figure out how to use the Lucky Charm is another second I waste to not take down Hawkmoth. I can't miss this chance!

Chat Noire decided to change tactics and tried to trip up Hawkmoth. She spun her staff low.

As expected, Hawkmoth dodged by jumping towards another beam. She jumped so high it's almost like she's flying… No, actually, she really was flying! Her cape flapped open to reveal they were shaped like butterfly wings.

That's it!

The realization struck me so suddenly, I nearly lost my footing.

Her dancing around our attacks, the way she gracefully moved… She was fluttering around us like a butterfly, letting the wind guide her way around us.

It finally made sense! The Lucky Charm could limit her movements!

Before I regained my footing to take action, a shadow loomed above me. I braced myself for an attack, but it never came. When I looked up, I saw red. Literally.

Red was everywhere, from Chat Noire's wild mane… to the blood dripping from the tip of a thin sword stabbed through her stomach, forming a puddle beneath her feet.

 _Did she just… shield me…?_

My own blood ran cold as the glowing blade was pulled out of Chat Noire with a sickening squelch and she started falling off the beam towards the church's marble floor. I broke out of my shock just long enough to move and catch Chat Noire and land us safely on the floor. It's the least I can do…

That attack was supposed to be for me. The second I was distracted, Hawkmoth lunged for the kill. And Chat Noire took the blow for me.

 _W-what have I done?_

I clutched her close, as if doing so would stop her life from drifting away. With the light leaking out the stained glass window, I looked down at Chat Noire and saw that she was getting paler by the second. She is losing so much blood. I can feel her heartbeat, but it's getting weaker.

She could actually _die_.

That same suffocating feeling from finding out who Scorch is returns with a vengeance. A shadow blocked the colorful light with the silhouette of a woman wearing a butterfly-shaped cape.

" _ **You might wanna use that Lucky Charm to save her, boy,"**_ Hawkmoth coldly suggested, sheathing her blood soaked sword back into her cane.

I stiffened as the sadistic choice Hawkmoth gave me sunk in. Use the Lucky Charm to capture Hawkmoth and let Chat Noire die… Or use Lucky Charm to cast Miraculous Ladybug, save Chat Noire while letting Hawkmoth get away.

I felt Chat Noire stir in my arms. She craned her head up to look at me and slowly opened her eyes.

Our eyes met.

What I saw scared me. For the first time since I've met her, her arrogant smirk was completely gone. Her body felt limp in my arms. The mischievous spark in her feral green eyes is fading.

She scowled at me, quietly conveying what choice she'd want me to pick. Just watching her, I can tell it's taking her everything she's got just to do that.

I tore my eyes away from Chat Noire and looked back at the villainess. She was unfurling her wings, carefully opening the stained glass window while keeping her cautious dark eyes on us.

"Don't let her get away," Chat Noire managed to rasp.

She sounded as weak as she looked.

Hawkmoth threw me one last taunting look, as though she already knew what my decision will be, before completely opening her wings and jumping out the window.

I gripped my Lucky Charm and threw it into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

The jar burst into a swarm of magical ladybugs and fixed everything around me. From the cathedral to the wound in Chat Noire's stomach… But I saw none of that. I can't tear my eyes from the open window where I last saw Hawkmoth.

Chat Noire pushed me off and ran towards the window looking for Hawkmoth. After a short while, she let out a frustrated growl.

Miraculous Ladybug fixed everything, except my mistakes.

I heard rather than saw her approach. I couldn't look Chat Noire in the eye after everything that happened. Shame, defeat, worthless… _All my doubts are proven true_.

"I'm so sorry… I let h-her get away… She hurt my friends…"

Images of Fuyu nearly getting hit with a fireball flashed in my mind. And I can only imagine what Kaji is going through with the city seeing him as a monster.

"And I… I-I let my anger get the better of me…"

I wasn't thinking straight all day. All those instances where I could've ended things faster, where I could've done a better job, they won't stop playing back in my mind.

"I wasn't looking where I was standing… I was so fixated on taking her d-down…"

I failed. Even with the Lucky Charm, I still failed.

"Then y-you…"

I've been rushing into battles without a plan and Chat Noire had to get me out of trouble both times. She almost paid for my mistakes with her life.

"I'm sorry!"

And that doesn't even begin to cover it!

"I-I don't deserve to be a hero."

Tikki deserves a better chosen that can actually do the job right. Chat Noire deserves a better ally that she can count on. Kaji deserves a hero who can actually save him.

"Stop that thought right there," Chat Noire sharply said, cutting through my thoughts.

She grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me down to look her in the eyes. They were bright emerald green, right down to the sclera. The way they seem to glow like a real cat's eye made Chat Noire look inhuman. And yet looking into them, it felt like I finally found an anchor to hold onto in the middle of the raging sea.

"Throughout the whole ordeal, you've been nothing but a total goody two shoes!"

… _Gee, thanks Cat. I'm flattered._

"You did everything you can to contain the damages, and took hits for civilians before I got to Scorch at the school."

… _But I couldn't stop Scorch without you._

"If I'm not mistaken, you just got your powers today. Am I right?"

My voice failed me. So I just nodded.

"Yet you just jumped into danger without a second thought."

I wanted to argue with her. I want her to stop doing this. A part of me thinks she's just grasping at the straws to find something to positive to say about me…

"We've only known each other for not even a day, but I know you are the sort who will place everyone else's wellbeing over your own."

That look in her eyes left no room for argument. The longer she talks, the less forced she sounded.

"Heck, you just saved my _life_."

She tries to look like it didn't bother her that she almost died, but I can see it in her eyes.

"You're a true hero, Ladybug!"

Now that I'm a bit calmer, I noticed how my cheeks felt wet and my vision was blurred. Did I just break down crying right in front of her? I didn't even notice until now. But that doesn't matter.

For the first time since I've become Ladybug, I don't feel like I'm suffocating. I don't feel like I'm being weighed down. I… I feel like myself again.

I smiled at my hero.

"Thank you, Chat Noire."

"Nah, don't mention it," she raised her fist.

I stared at it in confusion.

Chat Noire rolled her eyes, grabbed my fist and connected it to her own. "It's called a fist bump, Bugsy. It's kinda like a high five, but with fists."

It's not that I don't know! It's just that I didn't think she was open to gestures of friendliness! I haven't even apologized for being so judgemental and snapping at her when we fought Hawkmoth! I even accused her of being a villain before she could even introduce herself! Besides, I didn't think fist bumps would be her thing… I can feel my face heating up from embarrassment.

"That's not why I-"

Before I can explain myself, my Miraculous gave a beep. Chat Noire's eyes darted towards my Miraculous in the wrist she's still holding before showing it to me. Three minutes left.

"Oh, would you look at that. You're almost out of time. Welp, I better go too, before my family notices I'm gone. Au revoir, Ladybug!" she said as she vaults up a banister and disappears into the darkness. I stared after her until even the clicking steps of her steel toed boots can no longer be heard.

Maybe having her as a partner might not be so bad.

"Ladybug!" a voice called out.

I jumped at suddenly being called out. I turned around and saw the last person I wanted to see tonight.

Staring at him, with his familiar orange plaid button up and his untameable brown hair… I still couldn't believe that my best friend was the raging fire monster I fought just a few hours ago.

But the signs of how it affected him are all there. He couldn't even keep his eye contact steady as he hid behind his phone, and his normally straight posture is hunched over with his head downcast, making him seem smaller than the happy-go-lucky school prince he usually is.

This is my fault.

"I just want to ask you some questions… Is that alright?" Kaji carefully asked.

I didn't save him when I could've come back down right after purifying the akuma and defended him. I didn't look twice on who I thought was a villain. I just labeled him as a villain, blamed his weakness for letting himself get possessed. When I found out who he was, I kept running away and left him to deal with the consequences alone.

This happened because I didn't try to understand. I let my feelings get the better of me.

This is my responsibility.

"Look sir, I don't have enough time to explain things to you," I explained, my Miraculous never failing to remind me how little time I have to tell him what he needs to know. "I wish I could tell you everything, but not now… Just…"

I have less than three minutes. It's not enough time…

"Just know that what happened earlier morning wasn't your fault."

This will just have to do for now. He just needs to know…

"You're the victim here. Hawkmoth took advantage of you when you were at your weakest and made you do things that you normally wouldn't do."

It must've been awful, and I'll always regret not doing anything about it when I could've. I wasn't there for him when he needed me most.

"And I'm sorry it happened to you. And I apologize for failing to bring the person responsible for this mess to justice."

My Miraculous beeped once more. I've got a little more than a minute. I sighed.

"No matter what anybody says, you are not a monster," I reassured one last time before swinging away.

I don't know where I can start making it up to him.

0-0-0-0-0

I quietly dropped my transformation in my room. I caught Tikki as soon as she popped out of my cufflinks. She looks completely drained. It then occurred to me that I've spent most of the day transformed and I haven't fed her since lunch.

"Shizu-"

"I'm so sorry, Tikki!"

"Shizuke."

"I know I'm not the most competent Ladybug, and that I did terribly today and-" before I can finish muttering, Tikki zoomed right into my face to shut me up.

"Listen Shizuke, it's OKAY."

I slowly blinked at the kwami invading my face. Her usually calm blue eyes are glaring at me with intensity. Tikki eased off of my face, but she's not done with me yet.

"But you-"

"Shizuke, I know this new responsibility you have as Ladybug is putting a lot of pressure on you and I understand that. I don't expect you to be perfect."

"But I mes-"

"Even the best Ladybugs stumbled at first! I had one particular Ladybug quit on her first day, but she came back and became one of my best bugs! So don't give up! What's important is that you learn from your mistakes and do your best to fix it."

"But the citize-"

"The citizens need you. I admit that today could've gone better, but there's always tomorrow and the day after that. Just keep trying until you get it right."

"But Chat Noi-"

"Chat Noire is your partner. She needs you as much as you need her."

"But-"

"No more 'buts'! The guardian chose you for a reason! Now could you please stop blaming yourself for everything?!"

"Okay," I relented. "I'm too emotionally drained to do that anyway."

I lied down in bed and stared at the ceiling. After crying in front of Chat Noire and talking to Kaji, I feel exhausted.

"Sorry," Tikki floated down to my side and nuzzled my cheek. "I didn't get much of a chance to talk today. I'm supposed to guide you but there isn't much I could say or do while you're transformed."

"Today has been quite a day."

"It sure has."

For a while, there was quiet between us. For a while, it was almost like I can pretend that today was just a wild dream…

"If there's something on your mind, please don't be afraid to tell me," Tikki said. "I'm your guide, and you're my charge. You're not supposed to deal with this alone."

And just like that, it's like a dam broke.

"Yesterday night, I was lying down in bed like I'm doing right now. I was thinking that tomorrow would be the first day of school, of how exciting it will be to be in the same class as Kaji and Fuyu. We were planning on hanging out after class, waste an evening playing in the arcade and going home just in time for dinner… To be honest, I'm still struggling to believe what happened instead: I missed first period trying to help a clumsy old lady, Kaji became a fire monster, Fuyu nearly got killed by Kaji, I became a superhero, teamed up with a cat girl, the entire city was threatened by a butterfly villain of all things, Chat Noire nearly died taking a blow for me… All of it makes me question why I'm given _these_ ," I raised my wrist up to look at one of the Ladybug Earrings. A simple pair of black studs repurposed as cufflinks. Who knew such unassuming pieces of jewelry held such a power.

My view of the Miraculous was blocked by Tikki flying over my wrist.

"I understand that this is a lot to take in… But you're chosen for a reason. The guardian believes in your potential."

I stared back at Tikki. She has absolute trust in this 'guardian' person's decisions.

"There are plenty of people stronger and braver than me…" Fuyu and Kaji to name a few. "Why choose me?"

"You have a good heart and willpower like no other. I'm sure you can take down Hawkmoth."

"… I better not mess this up then," I pulled off my glasses to rub my eyes.

I squinted at my surroundings. I put my glasses back on. Huh. I took my glasses off and placed it on my nightstand.

Oh right. Ever since I got the Ladybug Miraculous, I've spent most of the day transformed as Ladybug. With everything going on, I didn't even notice that I no longer need my glasses.

"Other than the ability to transform into Ladybug, you also get a few of your senses enhanced. I was wondering when you'd notice," Tikki cheekily grinned.

"Sorry I shut you out, Tikki," I said, facing my kwami. It must've been awful, knowing what's happening around me but not being able to do anything while I was transformed.

"I already told you, it's okay. I forgive you. Just don't shut me out like that ever again."

"It's just that… No, that's not an excuse. I've been really thick headed today, Tikki. Granted, I wasn't in the best state all day…"

"Who would be in your shoes?" Tikki rhetorically asked, cutting me off from that trail of thought. She waved her arm to urge me to continue.

"I feel like if only I didn't let my anger get the better of me, I could've done better."

"And? I hope you're not still blaming yourself."

"I'm still feeling drained. And both you and Chat Noire already gave me a lecture on that. I think I'd get it through my head by now."

"So what are you trying to get at?"

"Things are always clearer in hindsight."

I thought back on the events that happened... I took a deep breath, preparing myself to opening up to this magic bug god.

"I've had plenty of regrets today. Things I wished I've done instead of what I actually did. And through it all, there's one person who kept picking up my slack whenever I mess up."

In my mind's eye, I can picture her standing proud beyond my reach.

"Chat Noire… I was quick to judge her for treating the situation like a show. I thought she was just another fame seeker and that she doesn't truly understand what's going on. Her introduction against Scorch was ridiculous, and her talking down of Hawkmoth was over the top."

… Her wild red hair flowing behind her like a mane made of fire…

"I didn't notice how she kept her cool under pressure. She didn't panic and she knew what she was doing more than I did. I completely missed how serious she is about being a hero. She questioned me for not knowing how to use my own powers. She was going to fight Hawkmoth with or without me back at the cathedral. Even when she's fatally injured, she still urged me to keep fighting Hawkmoth."

… That haughty smirk that once annoyed me, now reassures me…

"Without her, Scorch would've been out for much longer. I would've forgotten to purify the butterfly. Hawkmoth could've talked the city against us. And I would've quit being Ladybug."

… Those mesmerizing emerald green eyes looking back at me, somehow seeing me as a hero…

"All it would've taken Hawkmoth to win is for us to do nothing. Good thing Chat Noire was there to act out when I didn't."

It took her nearly dying to protect me for me to notice she's the real hero.

"You know, there's more than one way to save a person," Tikki said.

"What do you mean?"

"You were still worried long after you caught the tainted butterfly. And why is that?"

My mind flashed back to the sight of the crowd who didn't dare go near the boy who was Scorch, Fuyu's frantic phone call, and Kaji's anxious face back at the cathedral.

"It's because the people were still afraid," I said, my eyes widening at the direction this talk is heading. Yet another thing that should've been obvious from the start but overlooked in favor of Hawkmoth.

"Then that means your work isn't done. It's not too late, Shizuke. There's still something you can do."

My mind then flashed back to Chat Noire. She didn't just save me when she took a sword in the gut for me. It wasn't until after she stayed and told me that I'm a true hero that I felt saved… That Chat Noire was my hero.

An idea forming in my head, I quickly jumped out of bed and went straight to my desktop. I checked the time, and it's 2:04am. I opened up MS Word, and began typing. Once I was content with what I wrote, I looked for Tikki. She moved from my bed, to the cookie jar.

"Tikki, what do you think about this?"

Tikki popped her head out of the jar, swallowing the cookies she put in her mouth before zooming towards my computer screen.

"That looks good. But you might wanna use your yoyo to broadcast that, just to make sure no one traces it back to you."

"My yoyo can do that?!"

"Oh sure! It can become whatever you need as long as you will it, like a mini-super computer. Most importantly, you can use it to directly contact Chat Noire."

"Perfect! And… uh… are you okay with transforming for a bit? I don't want to overwork you, and if it's too much, it could wait until tomorrow."

Tikki giggled at my hesitance.

"Just let me finish all these cookies and I'll be as good as new! Don't worry too much about me. It'll take more than that to keep me down. Just remember that you're not alone in this."

She's right. I'm not alone in this. I have Tikki and Chat Noire.

I won't fail this time.

 _I'll do whatever it takes to be a hero._

0-0-0-0-0


	5. Scorched Origins Pt 2 Ladybug's Resolve

0-0-0-0-0

 **SCORCHED ORIGINS P2: LADYBUG'S RESOLVE**

I had a long night. I only had two hours of sleep, and I still have a lot to do later this afternoon. It'll be a miracle if I can stay awake until lunch.

"Maybe you should take a day off, Shizuke. You don't look so well," my grandmother said from across the kitchen counter.

"I'm fiiiine," I insisted while rubbing my eyes with one hand and pouring maple syrup on my pancakes with the other.

Normally, I'd rely on my memory to find what I need as I fumble around the apartment. My eyes aren't so bad that I can't make out what's in front of me, and it's too troublesome to wear glasses when I could hardly keep my eyes open before breakfast. It's nice to be able to see clearly so early in the morning. It lets my mind be free to fuss over something else, like what in the world am I going to say to the people of Helios later.

"Shizuke, your pancakes are drowning in syrup."

I looked down and saw the mess I made. I let out a sigh. Better clean that up. I went to the sink and grabbed a moist rag to wipe out the syrup. I ruefully looked at my plate of overly sweetened pancakes only Fuyu would find appetizing. My growling stomach tells me it's still better than nothing.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing's wro-"

My stomach growled loudly to remind me that I haven't had dinner last night. I sheepishly slid back into my seat and let my grandmother start her rant.

"Don't think you can hide anything from me. You've skipped dinner last night, and from the looks of it, you didn't get much sleep either."

Grandmother took a long sip of her green tea, letting her words hang in the air. The suspense is killing me. What could grandmother possibly be on to?

"Will you tell me what's wrong?"

I shook my head, biting my tongue so I don't give anything away. Tikki already told me not to tell anyone about the Miraculous, and after the Scorch incident, I can see why. Hawkmoth will be out to get me, and she can get into anyone. Scorch's- no, Kaji's screams echoed at the back of my mind. She is merciless. The feeling of Chat Noire's limp and bleeding body got that point across. What could grandmother do against her? She can't even run away with that limp of hers!

"Does it have something to do with your friends?" she prodded.

I nodded. It's technically true, but probably not in the way she expects. I'd rather not lie to her, but if she keeps asking, I might eventually have to…

"Okay then. I won't pry anymore if you don't want me to."

"What?!" I screeched, slamming my hands on the slate countertop.

"I'm limp, not deaf. I heard the rumors. I'm sure Kaji would appreciate your company today. If you can make it, that is."

Well, she's not wrong. Kaji is one of the reasons I'm not doing so well today.

"I'll manage," I said before I downed my soggy pancakes.

"Oh, and by the way," Grandmother reached into her yukata sleeve and pulled out a pair of glasses. "You were complaining about your glasses frames no longer fitting right the other day. I thought I'd go ahead and buy you a new frame. This should fit you just fine."

I looked up from my plate to see the glasses she was talking about. The frame style was thick, black and rectangular. Just what I wanted! Too bad I no longer need it.

"I haven't had them adjusted to your specs yet. You should go to an optometrist after school."

Huh. Checking the lenses of the glasses, they don't have specs. Now that I think about it, going to school without glasses would seem unusual after wearing them for the past five years. Maybe it's for the best if I wear them so people don't notice anything different about me and ask questions. That way, I don't have to lie.

"Thanks grandmother."

It felt wrong to keep secrets from my grandmother. She's been by my side for as long as I can remember. She taught me everything I know, provided me with everything I needed. She raised me to be the person I am today. I want her to be proud of me.

When the day comes that I can tell her my secret, I hope I've become someone she can be proud of.

0-0-0-0-0

Books? Check.

Notebooks? Check.

Pens? Check.

Schedule? Check.

Phone? Check.

Cookies? Check.

Cuff Links? Check.

I mentally tallied everything I'm going to need to survive for today as I walk to school. I've got classes to attend, speeches to make, a response from Chat Noire to check, and most importantly...

Right up there, standing by the entrance with Fuyu, is the very person I'm looking for. Just the sight of him brought back all the guilt that Tikki tried her best to air out yesterday. Students that were making their way into the school were pointedly avoiding his general direction, like he'll just randomly turn into a fire monster if they so much as look at him. It's a small blessing actually. They could've been chasing him out with torches and pitch forks.

"You could've at least called, you idiot!"

"I'm sorry, Fuyu! I had to put my phone on airplane mode to block out all the hate mail I'm getting."

I still owe him an apology as Shizuke – as his friend.

"Kaji," I called.

He looked up from talking to Fuyu.

"Shizuke Midorikawa, where have you been?!" Fuyu yelled, but she didn't sound angry… More like she was worried and trying to pass herself off as angry.

I ignored her question and bowed towards Kaji, a gesture of apology.

"I'm sorry for not being there when you need me!"

"Shizu! Hey!" Kaji rushed over to my side and tried to push me up to stand straight. I didn't budge, not even a centimeter. "Calm down! It's okay! Please get up!"

Fuyu walked over to us and easily pulled me up by the back of my shirt. She looked at me with concern.

"No it's not!" I looked at both of my friends standing in front of me. On the surface, they may look like they're doing okay but I can see their smallest tells; his smile that's smaller than usual, her fingers' tight grip on her sleeves. I looked away from them in shame. "I'm supposed to be your friend, but when something happened to you, I just… I just…"

 _Where do I even start? I turned my back on you? I didn't even check on you?_

How I acted yesterday was very unbecoming of a hero. I'm supposed to save everyone! Scorch was the true victim, yet everyone treats him like he's a monster. If Scorch hadn't been Kaji, it disgusts me to think that I wouldn't even feel bad about abandoning him the way I do now.

"Shizu, I don't blame you if you were too scared to visit me. It's okay," Kaji said. His hand was on my shoulder, gently nudging me to look at him.

There's something different about him compared to how I saw him last night. His fragile smile, his stiff posture, his determined eyes… He's still not completely okay, but he's getting there.

"Everything will be okay. Ladybug's got this," Kaji reassured.

"Ladybug?" Fuyu asked, curious about the name.

I don't remember giving him my name, nor do I believe I've done enough for him to have so much faith in me.

Kaji giddily pulled out his phone to show us a video that's paused, showing my superhero form. "He's the boy in red who fixed the school! I managed to talk to him last night. Wanna see?"

Fuyu went from shocked at Kaji's sudden cheer, to livid when his words finally registered. "Wait, you were at the cathedral last night?!"

"I wasn't alone. Aunt Vera and Uncle Ross were there with me," he said, in a soothing voice one would use when placating an enraged animal. It's not working.

"Like they could do much against _Hawkmoth_ ," Fuyu said, venomously spitting the villainess' name.

"Ladybug and Chat Noire were there too."

"Please," Fuyu rolled her eyes, unimpressed with the new superheroes. "They let her get away."

"They'd never let Hawkmoth hurt anyone on their watch. You could attest to that," Kaji said, daring Fuyu to tell him otherwise.

Fuyu stayed quiet. We both did. There's nothing to say. He's right and we know it.

Kaji, satisfied he got his point across, continued, "And that's what matters. That is why I trust them."

The way Kaji said this with so much certainty... I don't deserve it.

The intensity on Kaji's face disappears and Fuyu and I followed his gaze to see what caught his attention.

Approaching us was a girl with luscious waist-length dark red hair, clear tanned skin, and a heart shaped face. Her stride was confident, preening from the attention some of the males and even a few females give her. Her stylish clothes look new and flatter her curvy figure well. Her calculating emerald eyes were locked on us. Though she's not my type, there's no denying that she's beautiful.

Next to her was a boy bearing a strong resemblance to the girl but the way he carries himself couldn't be more different from her. He walks with a lazy slouch and his hands in his pockets, completely snubbing the girls giggling around him. His clothes look like they're well-worn and randomly put together yet he's making the look work out just fine. His emerald eyes were completely ignoring us.

If the red haired boy wasn't approaching us with the girl, I would've assumed he was going to side-step us like everyone else. I'm a little surprised someone would approach Kaji so soon.

"Hey Blake!" Kaji greeted the sullen red haired boy. "This is my other best bud, Shizuke Midorikawa."

"Cool," Blake said without even looking at me.

Standing before me is all the evidence I need to know that life is unfair. This guy looks like he just rolled out of bed and haphazardly put on whatever clothes he had lying around, yet a bunch of girls around us are still swooning over him. Even Kaji isn't-er, wasn't?- this popular. I fixed my glasses when it was starting to slip down my face and reminded myself to stop being envious and be polite.

"Nice to meet you too."

Blake's face twitched in annoyance.

"And this is…?" Kaji prompted, making me focus back to the girl quietly standing next to Blake.

"This is my twin sister, Blair," Blake introduced the girl, before introducing everyone else to her. "The girl with pink hair is Fiona Kuznetsov… And the guy in the orange plaid is Keagan Gerald Aurelio-Ashworth."

Kaji looked uneasy at the girl's scrutinizing stare.

"So, you're Scorch."

Just the mention of that name was all it took for that small bubble of peace to burst. All around us, people started to panic. Some just jumped back, some quietly walked faster, some actually screamed and ran away… Everyone wanted to stay as far away from Kaji as possible.

I glared at the girl who was the catalyst for this. And she did that all with a smile. What's her problem?! Can't she see she's making Kaji uncomfortable?! Is she here to call him a monster?!

Fuyu and I quickly stuck to Kaji's side. I take back any nice thoughts I have of her. She's a mean girl type, through and through.

"Yes, I _was_ ," Kaji curtly said.

The girl continued to quietly stare at Kaji, her pretty face betrayed none of her thoughts. For a tense moment, we just stood there in silence, until she said, "You know, Ladybug's going to make an announcement at City Square. You should totally be there if you want to know more about your situation."

She left as quickly as she came. Kaji tried to call her back to ask her more about Ladybug's announcement but she disappeared into the crowd. I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding. Blake stayed behind to apologize for his sister's weird behaviour, which Kaji assured him wasn't that bad. Fuyu begged to differ, which started another argument between the two.

I stared back at her retreating form with narrowed eyes.

That girl is up to something.

0-0-0-0-0

Because of the panic Blair caused earlier, we ended up taking the long secluded way towards our classroom. There's only so much screaming and murmurs about Kaji being a monster that we can take. On the bright side, it gave us plenty of time to just talk like everything was normal. Then, Kaji showed us the video he took last night.

He started filming just after Hawkmoth pulled her sword out of Chat Noire. I didn't need to pretend to be shocked. Seeing it happen from a different perspective made it feel surreal. I have to remind myself that I was there when it happened.

Watching it brought back the rollercoaster of feelings I felt that day, along with new feelings from the things I didn't notice then. I didn't see how upset Chat Noire was when she saw Hawkmoth got away, how angry she looked as she approached me only to hold it in when she saw that I was crying. She helped me pull myself together even though she's disappointed in me.

Then the video turns to the part where Kaji interviewed Ladybug.

 _It's clear as day that Ladybug went through a lot of grief today. He looked weary, as though he aged ten years in a matter of hours and would want nothing more than to collapse. It would be understandable if he just ignored Kaji and swung away._

 _But he didn't._

 _The way he talked to Kaji was sympathetic, which made his words sound genuine._

" _{No matter what anybody says, you are not a monster.}"_

 _He gave one last rueful look before swinging away into the night._

The video ended there.

"See, they're not that bad. They were just overwhelmed," Kaji said.

"So you're really gonna go to City Square to watch them?" Fuyu asked.

"Yeah," Kaji said. "And I was kinda hoping… Could you two please come with me? For moral support?"

"Do you have to ask?" Fuyu said with no hesitation.

Then the two of them looked at me expectantly, making me fidget in place.

"I'm sorry Kaji, I can't…" I couldn't even look them in the eye. I might crack and just tell them everything.

Kaji slumped down in dejection. Fuyu was a bit more persistent.

"Why can't you?"

"B-because I have things to do."

Fuyu narrowed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "Is it more important than supporting your friend?"

"Uh…"

Yes! Being there as Ladybug to vouch for the innocence of Kaji and other future butterfly victims is more important than being there as Shizuke to give Kaji moral support! Oh if only I could just tell her this… I get the feeling I'll be having these kinds of thoughts a lot from now on.

"It's okay Shizu," said Kaji, shooting me that kicked puppy look that made my guts twist with guilt. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from saying anything more and simply nodded. Fuyu wanted to argue, but Kaji cuts in with a different topic.

"And I was thinking… My problem started because of the lack of information, right?"

I felt a stab of guilt for contributing to the lack of information.

"Yes. And now the heroes are having an announcement to solve that," Fuyu said in a strict tone with her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

She already pieced together what Kaji's thinking. In mine and Kaji's personal opinion, the normally dense Fuyu always picks the worst times to be the sharp. This is one of those times for Kaji.

"Please, hear me out," Kaji begged.

"Whatever it is you're thinking, put that thought into a box, lock it up, and throw it into the ocean. It should never see the light of day again," contrary to her overly dramatic words, Fuyu delivered it all with the flattest tone and face ever.

"I haven't even told you what I'm thinking!" Kaji argued.

Not really knowing what's going on and still feeling guilty from earlier, I decided to pick Kaji's side.

"He's right, Fuyu. Can we at least hear his idea? It might not be that bad."

Kaji smiled at me with sparkling eyes, while Fuyu glared frostily at me.

"Ugh. Fine! I know we'll regret this. Shizu, you better buy me deserts for the rest of the month. This is all your fault for encouraging him."

I nodded, quietly mourning my allowance. We both turned to Kaji who was giddily gliding his phone.

"Okay, I've been thinking this over all night, and I think this will really help the public. I was thinking of making a blog."

"A blog?" I fail to see how this will be problematic…

"Uh huh," Kaji nodded eagerly and presented us his phone. On the screen looked to be a proto-type of a website called 'The Ladyblog'. "It will be a blog about the heroes that's open to the public! That way, they can share any piece of news they have involving them. You name it: interviews, messages, rescues, supervillains, alerts, leads on Hawkmoth…"

As Kaji rambled on and on about his Ladyblog, it started to dawn on me how this could be problematic. With how invested he is on this blog, it's clear that he intends to be the number one contributor of intel. He'll do what he did back at the cathedral. He'll be in the front lines with me and Chat Noire!

"Kaji, while I think this blog is a good idea, I think you should leave the intel gathering to the pros."

Kaji made a face at me that looked like I just kicked his puppy. _Again._

"Listen to him, Kaji. I know you feel the need to somehow atone for…" Fuyu hesitated at mentioning _Scorch_ , before choosing to step around the subject, "You know… I-I understand. But Hawkmoth is dangerous. Is it worth endangering yourself for?"

Kaji stood up straighter, his lips a thin line, and his reddish brown eyes full of determination.

"It is. It's something I have to do."

There's nothing Fuyu and I could say to talk him out of it when he's like this. For all his complaints about how bull headed his father can get, Kaji's actually just as bad.

Fuyu gave him a withering glare, before she huffed and walked ahead of us. Kaji and I hurried to catch up with her. We didn't talk for the rest of the trip.

0-0-0-0-0

Just outside the classroom door, we spotted the mean girl sitting in the front row talking to her brother who's sitting across the middle lane.

"Of all the seats in class, why did she have to sit on MY chair?!" I complained.

"She's gonna be a pain in the butt to sit with," Fuyu grumbled.

"I can imagine," I said, remembering how our first meeting went. I shot the back of the girl's head with a glare.

"Which one of us should sit with her?" Fuyu asked, looking ready to volunteer.

"Maybe I should," I offered. "That way, you can glare at her from above."

"You wouldn't last a week sitting next to her," Fuyu quipped. "Let me do it."

While we were all distracted, Kaji sat himself next to Blair.

"Kaji!" Fuyu hissed.

Kaji's only response was a shrug. Fuyu and I both groaned and took our seats behind them. I took the seat right behind Blair, while Fuyu took the seat behind Kaji. We're both keeping an eye on her and we're ready to pounce if she makes Kaji uncomfortable.

She looks like she's about to turn to Kaji when Mr. Ross came in to take attendance. That didn't deter her. She passed each of us a note telling us to meet her during lunch break.

I crumpled the note and threw it into my backpack to be forgotten. I've got more important things to take care of, like coming up with a script for what am I supposed to say in front of Helios later.

0-0-0-0-0

As soon as the bell rang, I bolted out of the room and towards the nearest bathroom stall. I quickly transformed to check if Chat Noire has replied.

There were none. I should've expected this.

"Maybe she's busy," Tikki comforted.

"Or maybe she's still upset with me after I let Hawkmoth get away," I glumly replied, leaning on the side of the stall with my phone out. I flipped through all my social media accounts checking for any news of Chat Noire. Still none. "I wouldn't blame her if she doesn't want to be partners with me anymore."

"She wasn't _that_ upset with you. Trust me."

"Kaji's video caught her frustration clearly."

"Kaji's video can't read minds and tell you what she really thinks."

I stopped looking through my phone and stared at Tikki, my sweet kwami full of motherly support, in shock.

"Did you just sass me?"

"Only because you did first," Tikki said with a giggle, a sign she's not really upset with me. "Have more faith in Chat Noire. You're partners; opposites meant to complement each other. I know hundreds of Ladybugs who would attest to how reliable their Black Cat partner is. You can count on her."

I petted her head with a finger to show I appreciate her kind words. What did I ever do to deserve a kwami as nice and encouraging as Tikki?

0-0-0-0-0

Determined not to go into a public conference unprepared, I went to the library to plan things out. I can't go to the cafeteria, not without that feeling of guilt around Kaji distracting me. Settling down on an empty table near a window, I took out my notebook and started jotting down possible questions I may have to answer.

"Well, well. Look who we have here."

Try as I might to block him out by hiding behind my notebook, I knew it was a futile effort. Like his cousin Kaji, Leonardo 'Leo' Arthur Aurelio can't be ignored. The resemblance doesn't stop there. They share a lot of the Aurelio family's regal features; the tall nose, the high cheek bones, those reddish brown eyes… All except for the hair. Where Kaji and the rest of the Aurelios have dark brown hair, Leo has wavy light blond hair.

"If it isn't my cousin's pet nerd. You know your master isn't here."

My hold on my notebook tightened when I heard laughter. It appears he brought his posse along with him too.

"Can't blame him though. It's only self-preservation. Even the most loyal of house pets would run away from a _monster_."

A loud noise echoed through the library. It took me a couple of seconds to realize it was caused by the fist I slammed on the table. All laughter died down and no one dared to make a sound…

"Oh. Hit a nerve there, didn't I?"

Except for Leo, of course. The Aurelios are not known for keeping their mouths shut when other people tell them to.

"You don't know what you're talking about," I growled out.

"Do I? Didn't you see the news? He would've killed everyone if those two superheroes didn't show up! Not even Fiona was spared! No one's safe around him! What else would do that but a mons-"

I stood up from my chair and levelled the blond with a glare that would've made Fuyu proud.

"Leo, shut up."

Just as I was making my way out, Leo grabbed me by the arm. "Hey, I'm not through with you yet you damn nerd! Who do you think you are to ignore me?"

"Someone who's got more important things to do than listening to a coward's whining."

Leo's grip on my arm tightened with every word. "Why you insolent little-!"

My tolerance for Leo's crud must be in short supply today. It didn't take long for our argument to turn into a fight.

Okay, maybe calling it a 'fight' is being too generous. Leo may be a fencer, but he's no Fuyu. It wasn't hard for me to twist my wrist and get him to let go. Catching his fist didn't make me exert much effort either. By the time I spun him around to grab his other arm to restrain him, the only thing Leo succeeded in wearing down was my patience.

"This is pointless, Leo. Give it up. You know you're no match for me. Now, will you stop calling Kaji a monster?"

That did nothing but make him struggle harder against my hold. "You're seriously defending that _monster_?! He shouldn't even be allowed in school! He should be locked behind bars or better yet, he should be _executed_ before he transforms again and actually kills someone!"

It was all a blur after that. The next thing I knew, I had him pinned to a shelf in a choke hold.

"Take that back, Leo! Or I'll -"

"Or you'll what? Tell on me? I'm only telling the truth! And I'm not the only one thinking it! A monster like Keagan deserves to die!"

Before I could retaliate, a teacher came and broke up our fight. The disapproving frown the teacher directed at me tells me I'm the one in trouble.

For the first time in my life, I'm going to the guidance counselor's office.

0-0-0-0-0

"Shizuke Midorikawa. Now there's a face I don't see here every day."

"Good morning, Mrs. Aurelio. It's been a while," I tensely greeted back.

Here I am, in the office of the mother of Kaji's bratty cousin. Lorelei Aurelio is a beautiful blue eyed woman with long wavy blonde hair. She's also the school's guidance counselor. As she organized her papers on her desk, she didn't spare a glance at me. This went on for a few seconds, letting the tension build up while she looked perfectly relaxed. The silence was broken when she started talking in a conversational tone, not looking up from her menial task.

"You know, when I heard that someone fought in the library over someone calling my nephew a monster, I was expecting to see Fiona Kuznetsov. She comes here often enough that this may as well be her extracurricular," she makes it sound like I'm just here for a casual conversation. I could almost forget that I'm in trouble… That is, until she stopped picking at her desk papers and looked me straight in the eye. Her dark blue eyes had a dangerous glint and her cherry colored lips were a firm line. "So imagine my surprise when I found out that it was _you_ who was involved and that it was _my son_ you had pinned to a bookshelf."

It's official. There is no talking out of this. I'm in trouble no matter what I say.

"Normally, I'd be angry at anyone who manhandles my son. But seeing as the person involved was you, I'm feeling inclined to listen to your side of the story."

"Like you ought to do anyway as the guidance counselor," I glared at the woman. I never liked the way she dances around the issue before going straight to the point.

Fuyu always ranted about how she likes to make troublemakers squirm first before dishing out their punishment. There's always punishment. No one ever comes out of her office without some kind of punishment.

"Someone's grumpy. You should be more careful of what you say in my office. It could go on your permanent record. Affect your grades, your school performance…"

' _I could take away your scholarship if I feel like it_ ' is the true underlying threat.

"I can't possibly make it any worse. I'm here now, and it's within your authority to assign whatever punishment you deem suitable for me. Can't we skip the formalities and cut straight to the point?"

"Now I'm really curious about what's gotten into my nephew's less troublesome friend."

If only Leo inherited some of his mother's subtlety, it would've been so much easier to pretend he was a somewhat decent person. I almost missed the jab at Fuyu on that one.

"For the record, it was your son who started it. I was studying alone in the library when your son came along and said horrible things about my friend."

"I am so sorry to hear that," she said without sounding very sorry at all. "But that doesn't make it right for you to resort to violence. Is that what they teach you at Judo Club? Use your martial art skills against the defenceless?" the guidance counselor shook her head with two clicks of her tongue. "I thought you'd be better than this. I can't overlook that."

"He called Keagan, _your nephew_ , a monster. And he said that Keagan deserves to _die_. Are you just gonna overlook that?"

'As always?' I mentally added.

"Look, I know my son has a history of saying… hurtful things like that, but you could hardly blame him this time. He was scared. Who wouldn't be? It's all over the news. The fact is, Keagan transformed into a fire monster and nearly killed your other friend. Not everyone can overlook that."

I clenched my fist, holding back my rage. Verbal battles have always been Lorelei Aurelio's specialty. She's good at turning words and facts around to her advantage. It's a guaranteed loss to fight her head on.

"And yet it's so easy for everyone to overlook that the person who's scared the most is Keagan."

I couldn't help it. I know it's hopeless and the more I talk the deeper in trouble I'll be… But I can't just stand there and let her talk about my friend like that. I never was very good at giving up without a fight.

The woman's dark blue eyes hardened and her cordial smile dropped to a scowl.

"You're never going to apologize to my son for this."

"Your son is not the one who deserves an apology."

There was none of that faux warmth she liked to use after that. Nor was there her annoying tendency to drag things out to make troublemakers talk. There was nothing but cold professionalism and swift judgement. However, the punishment was surprisingly light; helping out with the library for a month and a fifty page essay on responsible use of martial arts to be submitted within a week.

As soon as I closed the door leaving the guidance office, Tikki took this chance to talk to me.

"Well, that went better than expected," Tikki muttered just loud enough for me to hear. "Harsh for what you actually did, but far from the worst case scenario you were talking about."

"I'm just grateful she didn't take my scholarship from me," I said with a sigh of relief. As I looked down at my new schedule, my eyes lingered down on the Miraculous I've repurposed as cuff links around my wrist. "Looks like school's gonna be busy this year."

"Don't worry, Shizuke," Tikki said in that reassuring way I'm slowly getting used to. "I'm sure it'll all work out."

0-0-0-0-0

After getting all the necessary books from the library and stashing them away into my locker, I made my way back to the classroom. Everywhere I went, the student body was buzzing with gossip.

My classroom wasn't much different from the hallways. The sounds of gossip in the air died down as soon as I entered. All eyes were staring at me. Of course they are. For the very first time, I got sent to the counselor's office. It's usually Fuyu's thing to get sent to the counselor's office.

I clenched my fists. I'm planning to talk in front of the whole city later this evening. A classroom of fifty students is nothing compared to that. I can't let this faze me.

"Everyone, I'm sure you've heard about my trip to the guidance counselor today," I said as firmly as I can. "And I'm sure you're all wondering why I got sent there."

The class remained quiet until someone dared to speak up.

"Is it true that you got in trouble because of me?" Kaji asked, always the first one brave enough to break the silence.

"Yes. Your cousin said horrible things about you…"

"As usual, he speaks nothing but fluent cow dung," Fuyu retorted from the side.

I shot her a stern scolding look which she shrugged off.

"What? It's true."

I groaned into my palm. But I feel some of the tension lifting off of me with our quick banter. It's a small comfort that no matter how much things change, there are still some things that'll always stay the same. With that at the back of my mind, I took a deep breath and stared back at everyone in class.

"I don't have to repeat anything Leo said. I'm sure you all heard some version of it anyway. Let it be clear to you all that I will not tolerate anyone repeating what Leo said or did, ESPECIALLY around Kaji. Understood?"

The rest of the class still looked wary of Kaji, but nonetheless they muttered and nodded in understanding. I understand that they're afraid, and that unlike Leo, they don't have any reasons to be malicious about it. I don't expect them to say or do anything as Leo did. What I said is less for them and more for Kaji. He needs to know that I have his back, even though I won't be going with him to City Square as one of his best friends.

"Look at the bright side; at least now you can say you've had the full school experience," Fuyu said as soon as I took my seat next to her.

"You didn't lose your scholarship over this, did you?" Kaji asked worriedly.

I shook my head. "No. Just a month of helping the library and a fifty page essay on responsible martial arts."

"Huh. You got off easy. Weird," Fuyu said. As the one with the most experience in receiving punishment from the guidance counselor, I can take her word as proof that I wasn't just being paranoid.

"And crazy lucky," Kaji added, his mouth a firm line and arms crossed. It's almost like I'm looking at his father rather than Kaji. "It was Leo you got into a fight with. I doubt my cousin would let this be the end of it. I'd keep my guard up if I were you."

I nodded. I've fought a supervillain yesterday and lived. One petty bully is nothing compared to that.

"By the way, Shizu," Kaji said, flashing a small smile. "Thanks."

I furrowed my brows in concentration, trying to figure out what he could be thanking me for but coming up with nothing.

"For what?"

"For standing up for me. I thought that… You were…"

"This idiot thought that you were avoiding him like everyone else," Fuyu helpfully supplied. She turned to Kaji with an all-knowing smile. "Ye of so little faith."

"Fuyu! Can't you let me come up with a less embarrassing way to phrase that?!"

"Watching you tripping over your words is embarrassing enough. Might as well do it the quick and painless way, oh faithless one."

Kaji melodramatically slumped down on his desk, curling his arms around his head and made exaggerated sobbing sounds. "Oh woe is I, who hath questioned thy power of friendship."

In his overly dramatic display, his open bag got pushed dangerously close to the edge of his table.

"Kaji stop that and get up! Your bag is gonna fall!"

That got a few snickers from the class. There's some hope that someday, we can go back to the way things were before Scorch – with Kaji goofing off, Fuyu egging him on, and me making sure they don't get into too much trouble. I can only hope that I don't mess things up later on.

0-0-0-0-0

Classes went by in a blur, and next thing I know, the dismissal bell was ringing. I bade a quick good bye to my friends before rushing out to the locker room. When I opened my locker, I was greeted with all the reference books I'm going to need for that essay. I carefully balanced them on my arm as I sorted out what I'm bringing home and what I'm leaving for tomorrow. I was just about done with getting my things, when someone snatched my umbrella.

"Hello there! I believe we have something to talk about," a familiar feminine voice greeted.

I tensed. I don't need to see past my precarious stack of books to know who it is.

"What do you want?" I huffed, trying my best to keep the anger out of my tone. She picked the wrong day to be difficult. I need to get out of here now!

Blair snatched the top three books on my pile, allowing me to look at her face to face. Despite my peeved feelings towards her, I find it strangely calming to stare into her emerald green eyes. It was enough to stop me from just running away from her so she can tell me what she wants to say.

"I want to apologize for being rude to your friend," she said in that formal tone politicians like to use to win favors.

She put the books she snatched back into my locker. I decided not to complain on the chance it'll make her go away faster.

"Is that it? Okay. Sure. Apology accepted. Can you please give me my umbrella back? I have someplace else to be."

Seeing that she seems too busy contemplating something to give me a proper reply, I tried to grab my umbrella from her but she nimbly moved away. What's with you woman?!

"Look, can you just slow down for a minute and hear me out?"

"You wanted to apologize, and I accepted your apology. What more do you want?"

"A lot of things actually," Blair's eyes seem to be looking past me rather than at me. They were glazed over, like she's longing for something that a popular model girl like her couldn't have, before they hardened to focus back on reality. "But we don't always get what we want."

For a moment, I saw the lonely girl hiding behind the confident smirk. It felt like she of all people could understand me if I reached out to her.

"… You're not wrong about that."

I never wanted the Miraculous – never dreamed to be a superhero. But with the threat of Hawkmoth over the city, I'm glad I'm given the power to defend everyone. I'm grateful to have someone like Chat Noire as a partner. I'm lucky to have Tikki with me. I may not be the best choice, but I'm what they got. I have to do my best.

"Sometimes, it's less about getting what you want, and more about having what you need."

All too quickly, this- whatever it is going on between us- ended. She ended it.

"I wasn't there when that… _incident_ happened," she said, making an effort to be more tactful than she was this morning. "But that doesn't excuse my lack of sensitivity approaching the topic. You three were clearly deeply affected, and-"

Anticipating what's probably going to be a well-meaning but long-winded speech, I decided to intervene.

"I wasn't there either," I lied. I chose my next words carefully, trying to stick to the truth as closely as possible. "But I should've been. My friends needed me, but I couldn't be there for them," I looked her in the eye, hoping she could see how much I mean what I'm about to tell her. "I shouldn't be mad at you for not understanding how this affects us. Unlike _some_ people, at least you're not treating Kaji like he's a monster."

A stranger like her actually treated Kaji better than his own cousin. I shouldn't have been so quick to judge her. She's at least trying to make amends. She might be a good person after all. Her next words came as a surprise to me.

"He's just a victim of Hawkmoth. Probably the first of many after the heroes failed to capture her," she said, her voice dripping with bitterness.

"Hey! They did their best!"

I can't say much about myself, but I know for a fact that Chat Noire would've died to capture Hawkmoth. As sympathetic as Blair seemed earlier, I'm not about to let this slide.

"Their best wasn't enough," she flatly said. "Hawkmoth is still out there and she can still make monsters out of anyone in this city."

For someone who wears a perpetual grin, this girl can be quite the pessimist. If anyone else said this, I don't think I'd be this affected. Her doubts in the heroes, in me and _Chat Noire_ , somehow annoyed me more than I thought it would.

"That's why the heroes are having an announcement at the City Square! They will explain the situation to help us better prepare! They are doing what they can to protect the citizens!"

To be honest, I'm not completely sure if Chat Noire would come. But knowing her, she won't just sit by and let things be. I have to put a little faith in her.

Blair had the gall to scoff. The nerve of her!

"What?" I said in a tone that dared her to speak ill of the city's only hopes for stopping Hawkmoth.

"How can you still have so much faith in them after they failed?" she said with a bitter smirk and crossed her arms over her ample chest. "I'm sure you've seen Keagan's video too. They were lucky that Hawkmoth didn't just finish them off when she had the chance."

That's… That's a good point. I have to be careful around this girl. Choosing my words carefully, I said, "Yeah, they were lucky. But that doesn't change the fact that they did everything they could to stop Hawkmoth. Especially Chat Noire."

"You can't be serious," Blair muttered, her tone full of disbelief.

"I am! What do you have against Chat Noire?!"

Blair rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you're a fan boy? Well before you get all defensive about your new waifu, let me ask you: What's the point of her being here?" and then she started sassily raising a finger as she listed, "She can't return anyone to normal. She can't fix anything. She can't stop Hawkmoth…" she put her hand down to her hip and glared at me. "The best she could do was to take a sword to the gut so Ladybug could stick around to fix everything. Is that what passes for a hero nowadays? Someone who'd die unable to stop one bad guy?"

"Chat Noire is a true hero and I will not stand by and let you belittle her efforts!"

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. It wouldn't do to just yell recklessly about my thoughts and let my feelings guide my actions. That's what got me into trouble in the first place. I should approach this rationally… Just like Chat Noire.

"Ladybug may have been the first to jump into a fight against Scorch but Chat Noire was the one who ended it."

I condensed my thoughts into words, thinking of all my shortcomings, and all the places Chat Noire had to pick up my slack.

"When the people of Helios were losing faith and were ready to turn against them just because Hawkmoth spouted a pack of lies, Chat Noire was the one who set them all straight."

I may have had the power to fix things back to normal, but it was Chat Noire who kept everything from completely falling apart.

"Chat Noire wouldn't have gotten stabbed if Ladybug didn't stumble in the middle of their fight against Hawkmoth."

She had every right to be upset with me. After all, what have _I_ done?

"She showed nothing but bravery and level-headedness where everyone else were swept away with all the chaos Hawkmoth brought. She's a great hero! So don't you dare talk about her like she's done nothing right when the city clearly needs a hero like her!"

Oh no, I said too much! Silence fell between us, save for the raindrops just outside. I stared her down, observing her reaction. At first, there was shock. Then her eyes glazed over, her face full of contemplation. Remembering I had someplace else to be, I said, "I better go."

That snapped her out of her trance. She looked up to check the wall clock hanging above the door.

"Are you gonna attend the heroes' announcement?" she asked.

"I've got stuff to do," I said, praying that she wouldn't ask any more questions. In my nervousness, I had to adjust my hold on my books so I don't drop them.

"I see," Blair said in a detached tone that sounded a lot like how her brother speaks.

"May I…?" I said before reaching out towards my umbrella.

"Oh."

She put the umbrella on top of my pile of books. Is she deliberately trying to delay me?

"Just know that I'm sorry about what happened to your friend. His feelings were taken advantage of. He shouldn't feel too bad about it. Noor-"

Noor? That sounds almost like… But it can't be. She couldn't know that. It's probably just a mispronunciation. It happens all the time. I used to mispronounce things all the time when I first moved to Helios.

But that look of shock on her face makes me think that it was a little more than that. That look of shock was gone before I can look further into it.

"Nor should you," she said, quickly recovering from her verbal stumble like it never happened.

Anyone else would've thought it was a simple stutter. But I knew what I saw. I knew what I heard.

"Right."

This girl DEFINITELY knows more than she's letting on.

"… See you around then, Shizuke?"

Her voice sounded hopeful, like she honestly wanted to be my friend. I almost believed her. But let's be realistic. Why would a girl like her want to be friends with a guy like me? There's something else going on. She wants something from me. A pair of Ladybug earrings came to mind.

"Of course."

It all made sense! She was going to say _Nooroo_ , the butterfly kwami. She seems suspiciously well informed about how Kaji's feelings were taken advantage of. Even more concerning is how much she knew about Chat Noire's powers. According to Kaji and Fuyu, she wasn't here yesterday, when _Scorch_ happened… This can only mean one thing.

She's dangerous. I should get away from her. I turned away from her and tried my best not to look too panicked as I walked away. But something stopped me. I felt an overwhelming rage bubble up inside me, but I quelled it. It wouldn't do to let my anger get the better of me. It never ends well. There's just one more thing I have to say to her:

"The heroes will get her one day. I believe in that."

I won't fail again. I'll get stronger and be the partner Chat Noire can count on, be the hero this city deserves. Hawkmoth will not get away next time.

"I've got a speech to crash."

Her voice was so low I'm pretty sure I wasn't meant to hear that. Or maybe I was, and she just doesn't care if I had my guard up or not.

I powerwalked as fast as I can, occasionally glancing behind me to make sure she didn't follow me. I saw her run towards the opposite direction of me, thankfully, but it didn't calm me by much. Once I was a fair distance away from school, I started breathing erratically. Tikki popped out of my pocket. She gave me a worried look. She told me to calm down and do some breathing exercises before asking me what's wrong.

I evened out my breathing before I replied. "I think I just found Hawkmoth."

"What?! Are you sure?"

There's a huge chance that Blair Crawford could be Hawkmoth. She was absent yesterday. She seems too knowledgeable on how Hawkmoth's powers work. She nearly said 'Nooroo' just now! But it's all circumstantial evidence. There's still one thing that I can test.

"If she does come to City Square tonight, I'll know for sure."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Right. Tikki, spots on!"

0-0-0-0-0

After leaving my books at home and telling grandma that I'm going out to visit the optometrist, I found an empty corner to transform. I swung my way to City Square. The rain was softening to a drizzle, thankfully, and I can see the crowd of reporters waiting for me around the city founder's statue.

I was racing there at top speed… Until a few blocks away from my destination, I saw a few familiar faces.

Fuyu was tugging Kaji towards the City Square, but a rusty blue car drove over the curb in front of them, knocking down a mailbox without a care. Fuyu and Kaji tried to backtrack but a cherry red motorbike cut them off. They were trapped.

The car driver hopped out of his vehicle. It was Gavril, Fuyu's older brother. The leather clad punk rounded over towards Kaji, grabbed him by the collar and slammed him on the redbrick fence.

"Gav, please-" Kaji tried to plead but Gav wasn't having it.

"Stay the hell away from her you _monster_!"

Fuyu was about to say something, but the biker beat her to it.

"Gavril, that's enough! You're going too far!"

The rider pulled off her helmet and revealed herself to be none other than Keagan's older sister, Octavia.

"This has nothing to do with you, _princess_. So fuck off!" Gavril growled, not tearing his icy cold glare off of Kaji. He tightened his grip on Kaji's collar, making him choke. "What do you have to say for yourself?!"

I loosened my yoyo and dropped down in the middle of them.

"Ladybug?" Fuyu said with her eyes wide.

I glanced at her for a brief moment before my eyes locked onto her brother who made no move to stop strangling Kaji.

"Sir, let go of the boy," I ordered in my most commanding voice.

Gavril ignored me. I sighed, resigned to use force to restrain him. It's always force with him. My yoyo looped around his arms, and I pulled him away from Kaji. Fuyu quickly grabbed Kaji and got him out of Gavril's reach.

"Let me go polka dot bastard! I'll kill that monster before he kills us all!"

Octavia stood protectively in front of Kaji and Fuyu, ready to fight Gavril if it came down to it. Her reddish brown glare met his icy blue glare head on. Fuyu is trying to subtly push Kaji to run towards the City Square but he just stood there staring blankly into space.

Leave it to Gavril to pick the wrong time to be a decent protective brother while retaining his usual jerkiness. I would've been so mad at Gavril if I hadn't had similar (albeit less murderous) thoughts about Scorch just yesterday. Unlike him, I don't have the excuse of not knowing better.

I have to fix that. I need to get to City Square. I need to clear Kaji's name.

I let go of Gavril. Without wasting a second, I quickly grabbed Kaji and Fuyu and zipped away. The punk yelled profanities at us. Thankfully, Octavia was there to stop him from following suit. We were several meters high up in the air when Kaji snapped out of his daze.

"Huh?"

Kaji started squirming when he noticed how high up we were. I had to hold him tighter to make sure I don't accidentally drop him.

"Stop that you idiot! You'll make us fall!" Fuyu said from where she was hanging off my back, her arms wrapped around my shoulders. I had more trust in her holding on to me than Kaji.

"Fuyu?!"

"Listen to her, Mr. Aurelio-Ashworth."

"L-L-Ladybug?!"

"I'm taking you both to the City Square," before I can second guess myself, I blurted out, "I want you to be there when I tell people everything."

There's that. It's also because I don't trust that Hawkmoth would leave Kaji alone if she really is planning on doing something today.

0-0-0-0-0

When the three of us landed on the base of the city founder's statue, the reporters bombarded us with questions. Camera flashes were everywhere. The three of us do make an admittedly interesting sight: the hero, the girl he saved, and the guy she needed saving from. I tried to tell them to settle down, but my voice was drowned out by their questions.

Then a loud yell from above cut through the cacophony of noises. Everyone looked up just in time to see a familiar fiery red mane spinning down from the sky and landing between me and the reporters with a bow. If taking the heat of the reporters' attention off of us was her intention, then she did a great job.

"Chat Noire!" I called out with a relieved smile. "You came!"

The cat heroine's ears perked. She straightened herself up and smirked at me.

"Is there anywhere else you'd rather I'd be?" she said with a mischievous wink.

Since when had her cocky attitude stopped being annoying and started being reassuring?

"I'm glad you're here."

For some reason, Chat Noire dropped her smirk and just stared at me. For once, the sassy cat was speechless.

Then, the reporters made their presence known. Questions and flashes erupted from them, more excited than ever now that both of us are here.

Chat Noire quickly spun her staff, made it extend, and balanced it across her shoulders like a make-shift barricade from the reporters.

"Settle down people!" her voice projected loud, full of confidence and authority that I can only dream of having. The reporters almost instantly quieted down. "We know you have a lot of questions, and we're willing to answer them! All we ask of you is to please listen to what Ladybug has to say first! He's here to make an announcement!"

I smiled at Chat Noire gratefully and took her cue to step forward. Before I can start my speech, there was a commotion near the gates. Chat Noire and I put our guards up, preparing ourselves to face another corrupted champion or even Hawkmoth herself. Instead, there was a swarm of _purple_ butterflies fluttering into the City Square.

The crowds parted as the butterflies converged into a single path straight towards us. Once they were less than five meters away, the butterflies combined into a life-sized form of Hawkmoth. The small gaps in their formation formed a pair of eyes and a mouth that moved as she spoke.

" ** _Hello,_** **heroes** ** _. Mind if I crash your little speech ceremony?"_** Hawkmoth sneered.

Everything around me became nothing more than white noise. All I could hear was Blair's voice, and the last things I heard her say:

" _I've got a speech to crash."_

I clenched my fists, doing my best to contain my anger. Getting angry now will benefit no one but Hawkmoth. I have to keep my calm and think things rationally.

"What do you want?"

" ** _Your Miraculous, of course. Have I not made myself clear yesterday?"_**

"Then let me rephrase my question: What do you plan to do with our Miraculous?"

" ** _I promise you, I only mean well."_**

Chat Noire snorted. " _That_ coming from the one who tried to burn down the school? I'm not buying it."

A part of me that isn't busy seething at Hawkmoth was a little touched that Chat Noire put all the blame on Hawkmoth and not Scorch.

The butterflies scattered then reformed less than a meter in front of us.

" ** _Pot meet kettle, kitty,"_** Hawkmoth mocked in a sing song voice, her form of butterflies scattered once more, and reformed right next to Chat Noire and whispered into her ear. Her voice was so low I only managed to hear it because of my proximity. **_"I can sense your feelings. We're more alike than you think. Try as you might to be a hero, you're nothing more than a selfish lonely little girl still crying for the loss of her-"_**

"ENOUGH!" Chat Noire roared as she swung her staff at Hawkmoth's swarm.

Her form broke away, only to form back right behind us. Chat Noire glared at her with feral eyes and her sharpened teeth barred. She was holding her weapon tightly, poised into a low predatory crouch.

This Chat Noire is different from the one yesterday. Every step of the way, she took deliberately. From her flashy entrances to her harsh words for Hawkmoth… They were done with purpose: to throw off her enemies and make them pay attention to her instead of continuing their plans. She never lost her cool under pressure. Even at death's doorstep, she looked in control.

This Chat Noire is the opposite of calm. I've never seen her so out of control.

" ** _You know, I can give you the life you want. All you need to do is to give me your-"_**

I didn't let her finish her sentence. I swung my yoyo at her, capturing the butterflies that formed her head, decapitating her form. At that moment, Chat Noire quickly snapped out of it and recomposed herself.

"Our answer hasn't changed Hawkmoth. We're not giving them up," I said, sounding calmer and more in control than I actually am. Who wouldn't be a little panicked? She just tried to possess my partner!

The butterflies reformed her head that's grinning maliciously at us.

" ** _Too bad. We had great teamwork."_**

Her laughter echoed as the butterflies disintegrated again. Chat Noire and I were on guard and stood back-to-back, but the butterflies weren't after us. They were never after either of us in the first place.

My stomach dropped when I realized who their _real_ target is.

" ** _You made for a wonderful distraction, kitty."_**

They converged around Kaji in a whirlwind of corruption. Fuyu was kneeling down frozen to the side, watching in horror. I pulled up and dragged her away, afraid that she'd turn into a monster if she so much as grazes a single butterfly.

I am so stupid! I brought him here to protect him! But Hawkmoth still got him!

"We have to get him out of there!" Chat Noire's voice cuts through my thoughts, reminding me that it's not too late and Kaji hasn't actually transformed yet. She plunged her staff through the column of butterflies, only to have it deflected back at her.

Fuyu struggled against my hold to run towards Kaji. It was only thanks to the power of the Ladybug Miraculous that's boosting my strength that Fuyu wasn't able to break out of my hold.

"Let me go! I have to help get Kaji out of there!" Fuyu demanded.

Everyone else was running away. The only reason there wasn't a stampede was because most of them were wise enough to start running at the first sight of a corrupted butterfly.

" ** _Children like you shouldn't be given so much power."_**

"Neither should psychopaths like you, yet here we are," Chat Noire muttered, twirling her staff with her calculating feral eyes scoping up the malevolent twister of butterflies.

" ** _Give me your Miraculous or I'll make Scorch burn everyone into ashes!"_**

I glared up at the swirling tower of butterflies. With this many in one place, I can almost feel the corrupted power within. The longer Kaji stays there, the more likely he'll transform into Scorch again. People will look at him like a monster again.

I promised to myself that I'll never turn my back on another victim of Hawkmoth's. Especially if it's Kaji. I won't let it happen again.

I entrusted Fuyu's safety to Chat Noire and made my way towards the tornado of corruption.

"Hawkmoth! You can threaten this city all you want, but know that we'll always be there to stop you! Any supervillain you create, we will save them!" I swung my yoyo around, building momentum. My free hand pointed up at the pillar of corrupted butterflies. "It doesn't matter how long it will take. We WILL find you! And when that day comes, YOU'LL be the one giving US your Miraculous!"

I threw my yoyo at the city founder's statue's highest point and flung myself upwards, high above the tornado of butterflies. There was a gap in the middle, the eye of the storm. I dove towards that hole and landed right next to Kaji.

Being in the dead center of the butterfly storm was as bad as I imagined. I can hear Hawkmoth's voice echoing, whispers of how Kaji is a monster who would kill his loved ones without mercy. I tuned them out and looked worriedly at Kaji.

"Ladybug!" Kaji cried in relief.

"Don't worry Mr. Aurelio-Ashworth, it's time to get you out," I said, while spinning my yoyo. I glared up at the butterfly tornado on the side that looked like it had a glowing _smirking_ face. Blair's smirk came to mind. "I've had enough of Hawkmoth for one day."

I swung my yoyo around and captured every single butterfly forming the whirlwind until it completely disappeared, leaving only me and Kaji standing by. Everyone was looking at us in quiet anticipation.

Hawkmoth's interruption ruined the speech I was initially planning – which I didn't really get a chance to think through. I've been improvising every step of the way, I can only hope whatever I came up with will be good enough.

I walked up towards the base of the city founder's statue so I can finally make my announcement. I'm not usually fond of making a huge show when there are quieter more practical ways to get things done. But this occasion calls for it.

"Citizens of Helios! There is nothing to fear! I, Ladybug and my partner, Chat Noire are here and we will do everything in our power to keep you safe!"

I threw my hand up and released all the butterflies I purified. The swarm of white butterflies burst out of my yoyo and out to the sky, blending in with the stars.

The crowds erupted in cheers and rushed back into the square, chanting our names in victory.

Fuyu ran towards Kaji. She looked like she was about to cry. I would've hugged her then and there had I not been very aware that I'm in a skin tight suit rather than my usual button up and sweater vest. Kaji was about to approach her, when she stomped over and punched him hard in the arm.

"That was for making me worry, idiot!"

"Ow! Geez, Fuyu, you have _got_ to work on showing your affection," Kaji mumbled while nursing his arm.

Even with tears threatening to fall from her eyes, Fuyu didn't let up her glare. "You didn't have to push me away when those butterflies started to surround you!"

"I just didn't want you to go through what I did," Kaji looked away with his head down and started talking in a quieter voice. "People already see me as a monster. I'd rather they not think you're one too."

Fuyu looked torn between crying or strangling Kaji. "You stupid-"

"Calm down guys, the danger is over," I said, trying to diffuse their fight. I can already hear the approaching press gossiping about a possible budding romance between the Helios Prince and the Jewelry Princess. At least they're not talking about Scorch anymore.

Someone tapped my shoulder from behind. I turned and met the smirking face of my partner, twirling her baton in one hand.

"That was quite flashy of you, Bugsy.~ Didn't think you had it in you."

I smiled back at her. Outside her pep talk, this is the first time she ever praised me.

"I learned from the best."

0-0-0-0-0

The rest of the night went about as well as it could. It was more than an hour of back to back questioning. After the adrenaline from Hawkmoth's attack wore off, so did my confidence. Luckily, Chat Noire doesn't have a problem with stage fright and was perfectly fine with handling the press mostly on her own. I still help her whenever I can.

"What do you call those creepy purple butterflies? There's something magical about them," asked a female reporter.

"They're called akuma," Chat Noire calmly said.

"[Demon]?!"

"Yes. That's what I was told. Is there anything wrong with that?"

I folded my arms. I couldn't stop the shiver that went down my spine. "Well, it's just that I think it's a little too much to refer to those butterflies as 'demons'..."

Chat Noire places her knuckles over her lips in a thinking pose. That contemplative look reminds me of a detective for some reason. "It does make sense. Those 'akuma' target people with negative emotions and bring up people's 'inner demons'. It's a fitting name, don't you think?"

"Here's a better question for ye: Why did Chat Noire do nothin' ta get rid of 'em 'akuma'?" asked a grumpy old man.

"Because Ladybug's the only one who can purify them," she said. From this close, I saw her smirk crack the slightest bit at the edge.

"Then what's yer purpose? You his sidekick or somethin'?"

"No," I cut in. Chat Noire makes a face like she just bit her tongue. "She's my _partner_ and I wouldn't have made it this far without her."

Chat Noire lightly shoves me aside to get back to the rude reporter, her smirk plastered on. "That's right. I kick butt while he fixes stuff."

Chat Noire's smirks and playful remarks were good enough to fool the reporters, but not me. Not anymore.

" _Try as you might to be a hero, you're nothing more than a selfish lonely little girl still crying for the loss of her-"_

" _ENOUGH!"_

There's more to her than the cocky superheroine she presents herself to be. As much as I want to ask her about that, now's not a good time to pry into her private life. Maybe she'll tell me someday. For now, it can wait. I have plenty of time to get to know her. I'm looking forward to working with her.

"What's your motivation to be a hero? I mean, if you don't mind me asking," asked a nervous young woman.

Chat Noire smiled gently at her. It's the most genuine smile I've ever seen from her. Mental note to self: ask Kaji later for a picture of this.

"I've always wanted to be a hero. Ever since I was a little girl… I've always looked up to _them_ ," there was a slight hitch to her voice when she uttered the last word and then she paused. When she spoke again, she looked sharply at the camera and said, "So here I am."

Her voice held so much passion in her words, it's clear that there's nowhere else she'd rather be.

"And what about you, Ladybug? What motivates you?"

The sudden question snapped me out o-of whatever trance I was in.

"Uhm… My reason-I just, uh… "

I have to think of something fast! Unlike Chat Noire who has it as a childhood dream, I never really thought about being a hero. I don't have an answer prepared… Then I spotted Kaji and Fuyu in the front of the crowd. Kaji had his phone out and a wide smile on his face. Fuyu was standing by his side, her icy blue eyes watching me with anticipation. I found my answer.

"I just want everyone to be safe, that's all."

0-0-0-0-0

Once the excitement started dying down, Chat Noire and I made our farewells, Chat Noire blowing kisses at the reporters on the way. While she was keeping their attention, I went over to Kaji and Fuyu.

"You did a great job holding out for as long as you did," I said.

"W-what?" Kaji nearly jumped from my sudden approach. His cheeks were growing red when it registered in his head that I just complimented him. "Oh, I didn't really do much… I just…"

"Even before Hawkmoth's swarm surrounded you, she had plenty of chances to transform you again but you didn't."

There was Gavril… and school… and probably his father… Leo… His sister… _He-who-shall-not-be-named_ …

"You're a strong person, don't you ever forget that."

Kaji shook his head and continued to avoid my gaze. "I have you to thank for that. If you hadn't believed in me… Told me I wasn't a monster that night… I might've…"

"Kaji, listen to the dude in tight red spandex," Fuyu jumps in on our conversation and walks up to Kaji's line of sight, his head still facing away from me. "In your own way, you fought off Hawkmoth and you succeeded in keeping her out this time. You should be proud of yourself."

Kaji stopped fidgeting and stood up straighter. He ruffled Fuyu's hair, ignoring her grumbling protests and said, "Okay Fuyu, you have a point."

Then he finally faced me. For once, he's no longer hunched over in shame, weighed with guilt of things that weren't his fault. He stood straight, with his face no longer hiding behind his phone as he looked at me with his smile getting wider.

"I'm still thankful. You saved me."

"You're welcome."

This was our first step in putting the Scorch incident behind us.

0-0-0-0-0

I got home later than expected. Thankfully, grandma didn't ask for an explanation for my tardiness like she usually would. She just assumed I came from the optometrist like she told me to but got caught up in the traffic from the superhero's announcement at the City Square. After a quick dinner, I went straight into my room. As soon as I locked the door, Tikki flew out of my sweater vest pocket and hugged my cheek.

"Congratulations Shizuke! Your speech was a success!"

I panicked at her rather loud squeaks. "Tikki! Shh! Grandma's still awake!"

Tikki put her paws over her mouth, her antennas dipping down apologetically. "Oh! Sorry."

I petted her head. "Thanks Tikki, I couldn't have done it without you and Chat Noire."

"I told you Black Cats are reliable. They're the Ladybug's designated partner for a reason."

We let ourselves soak in the pride and happiness from a successful day for a few minutes. It was a huge contrast to yesterday full of despair and the need to atone.

A yawn came out of me. It's been a long two days, and I only had two hours of sleep. I've been running on pure adrenaline all day and now that the press con is done, it's wearing off.

I opened my closet and pulled out a set of pyjamas. I carefully took out my Miraculous, struggling a bit with getting the one on the right using my left hand. That's when Tikki flew by.

"It would be more practical if you wear them as earrings."

"Didn't you say it's okay if I where them like cuff links instead?"

Finally, pulling out the right Miraculous, I put them back into the box and placed them on my night stand – wait, no, better put them under my pillow. The closer they are to me, the better…

"I know what I said, but if you're gonna be Ladybug from now on, it would be safer if you had them on you at all times. For one thing, it would make transforming less of a hassle."

That made me stop. I pulled back the box and opened it up to see the Ladybug Miraculous. My hand went up to touch one of my un-pierced ears.

"If you're afraid to get your ears pierced, then I assure you, it's not that painful. I can heal them for you right after so it doesn't get irritated," Tikki reassured.

I shook my head. "No, that's… That's not why I don't want them pierced."

I looked out my window, staring at the cityscape just beyond my balcony. The city was bright and bustling, like it's the usual Tuesday night. But it's not. Everything changed since yesterday morning, all because of a certain woman.

"Hawkmoth is somewhere out there. I swore I'll get her to pay for her crimes one day… After that, my time as Ladybug will be over. It doesn't sound like it would be worth piercing my ears for this if I'm only gonna make use of it for a few weeks-"

"You can't say that for sure. Depending on how good she is at hiding, you could be hunting down Hawkmoth for years. And who knows? Maybe you'll stay as Ladybug even after you capture Hawkmoth."

I stared wide eyed at Tikki. "Wait, so it's possible… for that long…?"

"It's even possible that you could be Ladybug for the rest of your life."

A wave of dizziness suddenly came over me and I fell back into my bed. I didn't quite faint, but the implications of what Tikki said was overwhelming. I clutched the box in my hand tightly.

"That's just… Wow. Me? As Ladybug? Even after Hawkmoth? I didn't think that far ahead… I mean, surely there are people who are more suited to be Ladybug than me, right?"

Tikki looked at me with a forlorn but knowing smile.

"I understand what the real problem is," Tikki said. "As I've said before, the guardian chose you for a reason. She chose you because you're determined and compassionate. She saw potential in you that she didn't see in anyone else. If you can't find it in yourself to believe in yourself, then please believe me when I say that my Miraculous falling into your hands was not a mistake."

My grip on the box loosened and I popped it open to see the Miraculous. If I concentrate hard enough, I could feel the power emanating from the pair of earrings. My resolve hasn't changed. I am Ladybug, the wielder of the Miraculous of Creation. And it's my sworn duty to stop Hawkmoth… But am I really worthy to be entrusted with such a power for the rest of my life? Before I could ask Tikki this, she already had an answer.

"Being Ladybug is as much of an honor as it is a huge responsibility. Adding that along with all your current commitments, I'm sure it sounds daunting. But all of that is just a possibility for now. What's important is that you're willing to take up being Ladybug at least until Hawkmoth is defeated."

I get the feeling she knows what I'm worried about more than I do... It probably comes with experience from looking after all the other Ladybugs before me.

"It's okay if that is all you're ready to commit to. You don't have to worry too much about it for now, but please, consider piercing your ears."

"… I'll think about it."

For a while, I let myself believe that everything is fine… Until I remembered one important detail that ruins everything. I quickly sat up and faced Tikki.

"Tikki, about Hawkmoth... I think found her."

"So soon?!" Tikki's antennas shot up and her eyes widen in alarm.

"It couldn't be anyone else! She crashed my speech like she said she would! I didn't misheard her almost say Nooroo's name! I can't believe she's in my class!"

"Who is it?" Tikki's big blue eyes were full of anticipation.

"Blair Crawford!"

For some reason, Tikki gave me an unimpressed look and quietly flew to the jar of cookies I took from the dining room. What did I do wrong this time?!

0-0-0-0-0

As time went by, there were more and more people getting turned into supervillains.

Chat Noire has completely ruined the word 'akuma' for me by treating it like an English word and inventing variations of it, such as 'akumas' (noun; meaning: the plural form of akuma), 'akumatize' (verb; meaning: to turn someone into an akuma), and 'akumatization' (noun; meaning: the process of turning into an akuma). No more is 'akuma' the Japanese word for 'demon' for the people of Helios. It gets even more confusing when people started referring to the akuma victims as 'akuma', like the butterflies that turned them.

At first I wasn't comfortable using that word to refer to the victims until Kaji explained it to me. By referring to the corrupted champions as 'akuma', it feels more like they're talking about the butterfly making them do things rather than the person it's possessing… That it's all the butterfly's doing – the butterfly's fault. That it's all Hawkmoth's fault. With that in mind, I've become comfortable with using that word.

The mayor has taken measures to help out Hawkmoth's victims. His special attention towards their needs can easily be attributed to his son being the very first victim.

"Your father really cares about you," I told him one day when the three of us were hanging out at the mall and saw flyers of Kaji's father's latest project to help former supervillains. Apparently, they can seek out counselling for free now.

"In his own detached way, yeah," Kaji shrugged with his hands in his pockets as he pretended to be interested in the clothes on display. His words didn't have that bitter edge it usually did when he talked about his father. He just sounds annoyed.

"So you two finally had your heart to heart?" Fuyu asked.

"Yeah. I just wish he'd stop being so overprotective. He even had Aunt Vera assign me a bodyguard! Again!" Kaji glared at something behind us. I turned around and spotted a man wearing a black suit unsuccessfully hiding behind a pillar. "Could you believe my father?"

"I think he's being fair. You do tend to run within the akuma's line of fire a lot," Fuyu shot back.

As Fuyu predicted, Kaji's developed a new dangerous hobby: stalking the heroes and getting videos for the Ladyblog. I've been buying Fuyu free deserts for a week now. Just this morning, Kaji tried to interview an akuma named _Charmer_ who was chasing Blake.

"Who's your bodyguard?" I asked.

"Doesn't matter," Kaji scoffed like the spoiled prince I sometimes forget he is. "He'll get fired if I manage to escape him one more time before the week ends."

"Kaji, let him do his job," I scolded.

Kaji pouted. "I don't need a guard who would run away at the sight of an akuma. If he can't even do that much, then there's no point in keeping him."

"Then I should seriously consider getting your father to pay me if I'm doing a better job than the pros," Fuyu quipped.

Much to my dismay, Fuyu followed Kaji's example and developed her own dangerous hobby: protecting Kaji from akuma. I'd be telling them to treat me desserts for all the stress they caused me if I hadn't been jumping at akuma myself behind their backs… Er, right in front of them? The point is, they don't know I'm doing it too.

"Good thing Shizu isn't jumping at akumas too. I can't imagine having to look out for both of you during akuma attacks."

"Y-yes. I like to stay safe and as far away from akuma attacks as possible. Hahaha."

Fuyu's icy blue eyes narrowed at me. "Do you really?"

"REALLY."

Kaji draped an arm around my shoulders to calm me down. "Shh, there there Shizu. Fuyu's just worried about where you go whenever something happens. You've been disappearing a lot lately, you know?"

Hiding the truth from them is difficult, and it's not just because of my natural tendency to suck at lying. I'm not spending as much time with my two best friends as I normally do. My free time is divided between them, school, extracurriculars, grandma's flower shop, and hero work. Kaji may be good at hiding it, but I know my absence is affecting him more than it affects Fuyu. I can see it in the way he forces a smile whenever it's brought up, like he's doing right now.

"Hey look! It's Blair!" Kaji said.

Running past us was the aforementioned redhead. She spared us one quick glance, her calculating emerald eyes scanning us before speeding away. She's one more reason I haven't been all that present in my friends' lives. I spend my free time gathering all the data I can about her, like her schedule and her history, to find proof of her being Hawkmoth.

"What's got her in a rush?" Fuyu wondered, voicing my thoughts.

Soon enough, Fuyu's question was answered when we heard screams from where she was running from. There was _another_ akuma, and he's running after Blair.

"I am Stunner! And I will get Blair to go on a date with me!" the akuma roared.

The akuma had long flowing blond hair and a glittering bronze jumpsuit, leaving a trail of sparkles wherever he goes. He would've looked so much more dazzling if he didn't have spaghetti dangling over his head like a wig. Now that I think about it, Charmer also had food in her hair when she was tearing the city apart looking for Blake.

As he rushed passed us, Kaji checked his phone.

"Data, check. Battery, check. I am so out of here!" Kaji gleefully followed the sparkly path towards danger.

"Ugh…" Fuyu groaned while flexing for a sprint. Before she ran off, she shot me a look. "You better be here when I get back."

"Yes, ma'm."

Once I'm sure she's far enough away, I bolted to the nearest secluded corner. As soon as the coast was clear, Tikki flew out of my sweater vest pocket.

"Twice in one day?"

"Yes. And _Blair_ herself caused it."

"Shizuke, let's be rational about this."

"I know, I know. Innocent until proven guilty. Unless I have irrefutable proof, I have to protect her like everyone else."

"So let's go!"

"Tikki, spots on!"

Magic washed over me, changing my clothes into an indestructible suit. I ran towards where I last saw the akuma. I soon found him, still chasing down Blair. I ran faster and threw my yoyo around his leg and tripped him up.

"Time to free you from evil, akuma."

Fighting akuma was still a struggle. Using a yoyo when I'm already trained in Judo makes fighting confusing. My limbs take their sturdy stances on reflex when I should be ready to jump at a moment's notice. As soon as Chat Noire jumped into the fight, everything went a lot smoother.

As grateful as I am to have her as my partner, it irks me how far ahead she is with controlling her powers. It's like she's born for this while I'm still fumbling behind her. It's frustrating!

It wasn't long before we stopped the akuma. With a quick snap of my yoyo and a wave of magical ladybugs, everything went back to normal. Sometimes it feels like the only reason I'm still here is because I'm the only one who can fix things.

I hesitantly approached Chat Noire, raising my fist for a fist bump.

"So, uh, pound it?"

Do I even deserve to stand by her side and call myself her partner?

Chat Noire smiled back at me, warm and full of acceptance, and connected her fist to mine. For a moment, I could let myself believe that I'm good enough to be here; that I had what it takes to be a hero.

"Pound it."

0-0-0-0-0

And that's it for Scorched Origins! For now anyway. Maybe I'll come back to correct a few things and add in Hawkmoth or Kaji's POV but for now, I consider this complete. I'll focus on the main story for now. Please read and review!


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